A Total Nightmare
by Miss Sofie
Summary: COMPLETE! Julia's younger siblings are kidnapped by the evil pirate Jack Sparrow. Or so she thinks. In the end she has to beg for his help to find them, as his worst enemy, Nosy Nick, has kidnapped them. This time the kidnapping is for real. Will also in
1. Nonsense in the Night

A/N: I know some of you are waiting for me to finish the Don Juan DeMarco story. It _will_ be finished. I promise. I just got fed up with it and needed to concentrate on something else for a while, which resulted in these two first chapters of my newest story.

Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Walt Disney Pictures does. However, I do own all of the characters in this chapter, except for the pirate, who's a mixture of Jack Sparrow and my own character. Separate disclaimer for each chapter. 

More characters to come, both of Walt Disney Pictures' property and of my own.

~ Miss Sofie.

---

**Chapter One – Nonsense**** in the Night**

Julia Kelly groaned in her sleep and turned over to lie on her side. The cold air that came in under the blanket through the gap that the turn-over had caused, woke her and made her pull the blanket closer. Her eyes were still closed, but she opened them holding her breath as she heard something or someone tap on the window in the bed chamber. She lay still, listening intensely to the tapping, but she relaxed when she realized it was only a branch from the big poplar outside the window. The wind was pretty strong now, and it howled around the corners of the manor house.

Please don't let Father cancel the trip tomorrow! She prayed and closed her eyes again. She needed all the sleep she could get, and so she tried to fall asleep again.

She listened to the slight snoring of her sister, Harriet, in the other end of the room, and she felt comfortable knowing that she was sound asleep.

Harriet was only four years old, fourteen years younger than Julia, but the two of them shared a room anyway, as there were two brothers in between, with whom they couldn't share rooms. Not now, when they were growing up. Matthew was sixteen and Daniel was eight, and so they were too old to share rooms with their sisters.

Harriet's snoring reminded Julia of the gentle rocking of a ship on the waves in the sea. The sea, which she had never seen, living so far into the country that the only water she had seen was the water that the servants brought to the room warmed up for washing, the water in the well, the rain, and the many lakes that were around their estate. Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, she would see the real sea with waves and ships and everything, if only the trip would not be cancelled because the autumn weather was changeable and, at the moment, not very good.

She had heard tales of the sea from her father, who had traveled a lot because of his political connection to London. It was also because of this connection the whole family would be going to Port Rewland tomorrow morning, all four children excited to the utmost, as none of them had ever traveled anywhere before. Especially Daniel was excited about the trip, as he was convinced he was going to see pirates at sea.

Julia had tried to tell him that pirates didn't just walk around in the street of a town like Port Rewland, and if they did, they were sure to be hanged. Pirates were lawless criminals, and there was no reason for him to admire them. He did all the same, and Julia couldn't help smiling when she remembered his face when their father had told them about the trip.

"Then I'm going to get a pirate's hat!" He had exclaimed with shining eyes, and everybody had laughed at it.

Soon the pleasant thoughts of her family combined with the snoring of her little sister, lulled Julia to sleep again.

~

The tapping on the window continued, and Julia thought it grew stronger. She looked at it, but all she could see was the blackness outside. It made her shiver a little. She was being ridiculous, she knew that. It was only a branch, for Heaven's sake!

Then, like all of a sudden, the small pane in the right corner at the bottom of the window fell down and broke on the floor with a tinkle.

Julia sat straight up in her bed with her blanket pulled up to almost cover her eyes. A hand came in through the hole in the window, searching for the hinge. It found it, and soon the window was opened.

Julia jumped to her feet to wake Harriet and run to their parents' bedroom with her, but all she reached to do was stand between Harriet and the man who came in through the window.

In the dim light from the candle next to her bed, she could see a male figure with long, dark hair and a tri-cornered hat.

Oh my God! It's a pirate! She thought and was unable to move. She couldn't see his face clearly, but he had dreadlocks in his hair and in the dreadlocks there were beads and trinkets. His beard was braided, and he looked dangerous.

"Stay away from us!" Julia screamed and hoped it would've woken her parents or Matthew.

The pirate didn't reply. He just walked towards Julia, and though she still couldn't make out his face, she was positive he was smiling nastily.

"I mean it! Don't come any closer!" She said trying to sound scary. She knew she failed.

"You really think I'm scared of you, little girl?" The pirate finally hissed still coming closer.

Julia reached out for the candle on Harriet's bed table and threw the stearin at the pirate's face. He winced, and then he raised his hand.

The slap was too strong for Julia to stand up to, and within seconds everything went black.

Another couple of seconds, maybe a minute, later she woke up from her unconsciousness and looked to Harriet. Her sister was not in her bed, and so she got to her feet and ran to the window.

Oh no! The pirate was running through the garden with her baby sister over his shoulder! The latter was screaming and fighting to get loose, but soon they had both gone behind the willow hedge edging the gravel road leading from the manor house.

"Harriet!" Julia screamed, though she knew it had no effect. "Harrieeet!"

~

"Julia?" a young voice said. Julia didn't reply. She shook off the small hand that tried to shake her awake.

"Julia?" Harriet said again, and this time the older sister lay still, slowly opening her eyes.

Her heart was pounding wildly from the thought of loosing her sister, and she tugged Harriet in.

"It was only a dream, Julia." The little girl tried to comfort her, not quite comforted herself.

"I know." Julia said and tried to control her breathing. She couldn't help but shooting a look at the window. All the panes were in their right places, and there was no sign of the window having been opened since yesterday. The poplar was still tapping on the pane, but no hand came in through the window.

"Can I sleep in your bed?" Harriet asked. She seemed to be a bit frightened because of Julia's screaming. She, too, did not like the storm outside.

"Sure." Julia said and let her in under the blanket. She felt quite comforted by it herself.

"What did you dream about?" Harriet asked when Julia had packed them both closely in the blanket.

"Nothing special." Julia said trying not to think of it.

"Julia, you know it always feels better when you talk about your bad dreams!" Harriet's small voice said and made Julia smile. She was the one who was supposed to say that, whenever her little sister had had a nightmare. Not the other way around.

"You're right." She replied and kept smiling. "I dreamt about pirates." There was no need to tell Harriet more.

"Were they good ones?"

"No."

"Do you think we're going to see pirates tomorrow?"

"No."

"Do you think they're dangerous?"

"If we don't see any, how can they be dangerous?"

"But if we do see them?"

"Harriet, pirates don't just walk around in the town of Port Rewland. You've been listening too much to Daniel."

"They don't? Then where are they?"

"On the sea. Sailing. They won't even come near Port Rewland."

"Daniel told me that maybe they would attack the town and take me with them when they left."  
"Don't listen to him. He's only trying to scare you."

"You don't think they'll take me with them?"

"No, they won't, Harriet. It's nonsense!" Julia replied feeling slightly worried because of her recent dream. "Now, go back to sleep."

"But if we do meet pirates, do you think they're dangerous?" Harriet continued ignoring Julia's request.

The latter sighed.

"No, if we meet pirates in Port Rewland, they'll be locked up in prison and therefore not dangerous."

"Oh." Harriet replied. She sounded rather disappointed. Julia promised herself that she'd talk to Daniel the next morning. There was no need for him to tell his baby sister such stories to frighten her. Or anyone else.

After a while Julia could hear her sister breathing deeply, and she knew she was asleep. She thought about getting up to write the dream into her diary, but she didn't. She didn't want to frighten herself by thinking more about it. In the morning, when the sun would come in through the windows, everything would seem nice and right again, and she would laugh at her own ridiculousness. 

A few minutes later she fell asleep again, no more nightmares disturbing her sleep.

---

A/N: Please let me know what you think by reviewing. I have no idea of what people think of this story, so it'll be a great help if you'll take the time to write a few lines. Thank you!


	2. Leaving Home

A/N: I'm in a bit of a hurry here, so moving on to the disclaimer…

Disclaimer: I do  not own PotC, Disney does. I own all the characters in this chapter.

~ Miss Sofie.

---

**Chapter Two – Leaving Home**

"Miss Kelly?" The maid's voice woke Julia the next morning. The latter kept her eyes closed not wanting to get up yet. It was still rather dark outside.

"Miss Kelly, you have to get up. You're leaving for Port Rewland today, remember?"

Julia 's eyes opened a split second later at the reminder of today's journey. She looked outside and saw that the weather was still bad. Though it was not as dark as in the night, the sun couldn't break through the clouds, and the poplar was still tapping on the window. The wind seemed a bit weaker, though, and she couldn't hear the howling around the corners anymore.

"Mary, do you think we'll be going today?" She asked the maid, who was now trying to wake Harriet.

"I haven't heard otherwise, Miss Kelly." Mary replied lifting up Harriet. "But the weather is still quite bad. We'll know more when your father returns from his ride."

Julia's father, Sir Richard Kelly, always went for a ride in the morning before the rest of the family was up. He had done so as long as Julia remembered, as he liked to know what the day would be like. He claimed that the sunrise told it all. Julia had never figured out how the sunrise could tell him what the weather would be like, but until now she had never heard of a single time when her father had been wrong in his predictions.

"'Morning, Harriet." Julia said and placed a kiss on her sister's forehead. The latter rubbed her eyes and gave a yawn.

"I wanna sleep!" Harriet groaned and turned to lie on the other side.

"Harriet, we're going to see the sea today, remember? Now, try not to trouble Mary too much!" Julia said and got up. She washed, before putting on her robes. The heated water felt good on her skin after a long night's struggle to keep warm. For a moment she thought that it wasn't only because of the weather she had felt cold, but then she shoved the thought aside. This was, hopefully, going to be a nice day, and there was no need to spoil it already by thinking about the night's bad dream.

"Do you need help with that?" Julia asked Mary. The maid was trying to get Harriet dressed, but the little girl was too excited to stand still.

"No, we'll be fine." She replied and made Harriet stand still with a firm grip. "Now, hurry downstairs! I know you're dying to find out whether the trip's canceled or not!"

Julia sent Mary a thankful look and hurried out of the bed chamber. She was glad that she would be going too, though as her sister's nanny. Living as isolated as the family had always done, Mary was the closest Julia came to having a friend, who wasn't family. She hoped that her father would allow the two of them to go out on their own in Port Rewland. If he didn't like the thought of his daughter befriending a servant, she could always say that she needed her as a chaperon. He could hardly object to that!

~

Downstairs the fire was lit and the smell of fried eggs met Julia already before her feet touched the floor of the ground floor. She stood still inhaling the smell for a while. Mrs. Price, Mary's mother, came through the hall, when Julia descended the stairs.

"Good morning, Miss Kelly." She said kindly. "Your breakfast is ready. Your mother and your brothers have already begun."

"Good morning." Julia replied not thinking about breakfast. "Have you seen my father?"

"He has not come back from his ride yet, but I'm sure it won't take long in this weather."

"Oh." Julia said disappointedly.

In the dining room Matthew was breakfasting with their mother. Daniel had abandoned his place at the table and was sitting on the floor with a book. He hid it behind his back when Julia entered.

"Have you seen father yet?" He asked and jumped to his feet still holding the book away from her.

"No, I haven't. Is that one of my books?" She asked annoyed. Lately, he had made it a habit to borrow her books and forgetting to hand them back.

"No."

"Yes, it is! Give it back to me!"

"It's not your book! It's mine!" He yelled clutching it tightly behind his back. Julia hadn't meant to start an argument, not to say make him yell. She figured he was just vexed because he didn't know better than she did, whether they were going to Port Rewland today or not.

"If it's not mine, then why won't you let me have a look at it?" She asked calmly.

He held the book forth slowly without looking at her.

"A pirate book?!" She exclaimed remembering her nightmare, when she saw the cover of the book. There was a drawing of a ship with black colors. The flag also had a white scull and two crossed bones painted on the black fabric.  "Where did you get that?"

"No where." He said shrugging his shoulders, and Julia didn't push it any further.

"Just don't go telling your baby sister that she'll get kidnapped by pirates, okay?" She said and sat down by the table. "She gets scared very easily."

She noticed the smile on Daniel's face as he realized he had scared his little sister. Maybe she should've left out the last remark. It would probably only appeal to him.

~

When her father finally came home from his ride, Julia jumped to his feet to go meet him in the hall just like her brothers. They had all finished breakfasting, except Harriet, who had come down only a couple of minutes ago. Their mother made her stay by the table, until she had finished eating.

"Are we going?" Daniel shouted before Sir Richard had had a chance to close the door behind him.

"Good morning to you too, children!" He said with an amused smile.

"Good morning, Sir." Both Matthew and Julia said. They were old enough to know that he'd only torture them longer, if they pestered him about it.

"What a horrible weather outside. Have you had a look at it?" He asked obviously amused. Julia wished he would, for once, just tell them yes or no. He knew what they were waiting to hear.

"Yes, Papa." Daniel said disappointedly. 

"Well, have you had your breakfast yet?" Sir Richard then asked.

"Yes, Papa." Daniel replied looking at the floor.

"So you're all ready to go?"

"We're going?" Daniel asked with a disbelieving look at his father. The latter smiled and nodded.

"We're going!" Daniel shouted and started jumping around.

Julia looked at Matthew, who looked back at her. His eyes were as happy as she felt.

We're going! He mouthed without a sound. She replied by squeezing his hand happily, before going back to the dining room. Daniel was already there jumping around and pretending he was a pirate, which made Harriet refuse to eat the rest of her white bread and eggs. She jumped off her chair and ran around the room chased by Daniel. Their mother's vague attempt to make them stop fizzled out, as she, too, was excited about the trip.

~

Before noon the family and Mary had set out for Port Rewland. They were in two carriages, as one would be too uncomfortable for seven people inside. It would also be too much of a load for the horses, with the coachman and all the luggage in addition to the travelers. 

Julia was in a carriage with her mother, Harriet, and Mary, and the men and Daniel were in a carriage of their own.

Julia was a little bored, as Harriet kept talking about nothing at all, and Mary replied her politely. Sometimes she felt sorry for the maid, because she couldn't just tell Harriet to stop talking or turn her back on her when she got fed up with her, as the family could. Mary new her place and she never gave the impression that she was tired of Harriet, though Julia knew she had to be sometimes. 

Harriet could be a real pest when she was in the mood. Of course Julia loved her, she was her baby sister, but every one wants to give away their younger siblings once in a while, though feeling slightly bad about wishing so. Julia did too. She was sure Mary felt that way too, but it was not her place to say so.

"Julia had a bad dream last night." Harriet's voice brought Julia back to reality.

"You haven't said anything about that?" Their mother enquired of her.

"It was nothing. Really. Just a silly dream."

"She dreamt about pirates!" Harriet continued.

"Pirates?" Their mother asked. "I thought you were too old to get scared by the stories that Daniel make up."

"I am. His stories don't scare me. I just had a bad dream, that's all." Julia replied putting an end to the discussion by closing her eyes. 

She'd wish Matthew was there with her. He was her best friend and the only one she confided in. With his incessant high spirits and continual warm and lively comments on anything and everything, he always knew how to improve her mood. The nightmare was still bothering her, though she knew it was stupid. She would've liked to tell Matthew about it, so he could laugh at her and tell her she was being silly. She would've laughed with him and told herself she was a fool, and then she would've forgotten about the dream. 

But Matthew was not there with her, and so the pirate kept haunting her inside her mind, though she was awake almost all the way to Port Rewland.

~

Julia had been about to fall asleep when they finally came to a halt. She opened her eyes and looked out the small pane in the carriage, but she didn't see the big town that she had expected Port Rewland to be. They were in a small village, and when the coachman opened the door for them, he told them they were only going to change horses, but they could get out to stretch their legs for a while. The men would be right with them, as their carriage was only a little behind.

When they caught up with them, Daniel jumped out of the carriage as quickly as he could, and from the disappointed expression on his face Julia could tell that he, too, had thought they were finally in Port Rewland.

She spoke a little with Matthew, who made her feel much better by his mere presence. The two of them went for a walk, and she told him about her nightmare. 

"A pirate? In your bed chamber? In the middle of the country?" He laughed, and told her she was a fool, and when they came back to the carriage, she was in such a great mood that she couldn't wait to get going again, even though Harriet's talkative mood threatened to drive Julia mad before they reached the town.

The rest of the trip was a much more pleasant one to Julia. It was long, but everyone fell asleep when it began to darken outside, so they didn't feel the real length of the journey.

When they finally reached Port Rewland, it was black outside, and the stars were shining down on them. No wind was to be felt, and it was quite the opposite of what it had been when they had left home that morning. Julia wasn't sure about the time, as she had been asleep, but there were no people in the street, and the only light came from the lanterns. There came no light from the houses, but somewhere Julia thought she heard noise from something that had to be a tavern. It was one of those places, in which people fought and drank alcohol. At least that was what she had heard. She doubted her father would let her see one. Matthew might be allowed to go, but she certainly wouldn't. She wasn't sure if she wanted to, either. Right now she just wanted to get inside the inn they would be staying at and get some more sleep. The morning would bring plenty of pleasant events, she thought and inhaled the fresh, somewhat salty, air that she had never experienced before. Then Matthew joined her, and they walked in together.

---

A/N: More of PotC in the next chapters. I promise. And yes, Jack Sparrow will be there, too. Admit it, you're all waiting for him to appear! 


	3. A Dream Coming True

A/N: It's quite late in the evening and I'm dead-tired. I don't know yet, if anyone has reviewed this story, as I don't have an internet connection at home and therefore can't check for reviews until I update. But…If you _have_ reviewed then I owe you a thank you! So, thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean nor Jack Sparrow. Neither do I own the character Commodore Norrington, of whom they speak in this chapter. I do own the rest of the characters so far.

Read and review. I hope you like it.

~ Miss Sofie

---

**Chapter Three – A Dream Coming True**

Everybody was in high spirits the next morning. Julia had slept well without any nightmares, and she had thought no more of her dream since talking to Matthew about it the previous afternoon.

They all breakfasted together, which was a rare experience in the Kelly family, and Mary was allowed to sit and eat with them, though, usually, she would eat with the other servants in the kitchen.

A friend of Sir Richard's, Mr. Allenby, called on them when they had just finished their breakfast. He wanted to show them the town, as the children had never been there before.

Julia thought he was very kind, but when her mother began to speak about his son, Walther Allenby, she couldn't help but feeling slightly annoyed. She knew why her mother was talking about him. She wanted him to be introduced to the family, so her eldest daughter could have a chance of establishing a connection with a young man in town. That was not Julia's purpose with this trip, but maybe it was her mother's? 

In spite of the fact that it would include the young Mr. Allenby, she was thrilled to hear that the Allenby's invited them to a ball the same evening. Mr. Allenby apologized for inviting them so late, but he hadn't learned until late last night that they would be in town.

"A ball?" Daniel said when Sir Richard and Mr. Allenby had left the dining room of the inn. "It's so unfair! Only Julia and Matthew get to go!"

"Yes, dear," their mother said, "But you and Harriet get to stay up late with Mary, I'm sure. And if you behave nicely, I'm sure she'll read you a story. Maybe even about pirates."

"It's boring!" Daniel complained and kicked his chair.

"Daniel!" His mother scolded, but he had already left to follow his father.

~

"Can you believe it?" Julia asked Matthew when they were walking down one of the streets of Port Rewland. "A real ball? I've never been to anything but dinner parties before. And there's going to be lots of people. Maybe even young people!" She had a dreamy expression on her face, and her brother gave a little laugh.

"And probably even Walther Allenby!" He said and received a nudge from his sister's elbow. "I'm sure he's dying to meet _you_, the country girl!" He added in a sarcastic and amused tone.

"And I'm sure I'll die if he asks me to dance!" Julia replied just as sarcastically.

"Of course he asks you to dance, Miss Kelly!" Mary said holding on to Harriet's hand. The latter was walking nicely, for once, listening to the others. "It'd be impolite of him to do otherwise."

"Do you think he'll kiss you?" Harriet asked innocently. She loved stories about princesses and knights at the moment, and she was sure Walther Allenby would be her sister's knight.

"He definitely won't, Harriet!" Julia said. "And don't you dare speak of things like that in public!" She said with a slight blush. 

They kept chatting for a while, their parents walking a little in front of them. Mr. Allenby was showing them everything worth seeing in Port Rewland.

As none of the children had ever been to a town this big, to them everything was worth seeing. They were all very impatient to see the harbor, though. They new it must be close, as they felt the fresh breeze of salt watery air every now and again. Their skin was a bit more sticky than normal, and Matthew said it was because they were so close to the sea. 

"Look!" Daniel shouted at turned around to make sure his siblings had heard him. He was walking with his parents. "It's the sea!" He pointed to a place, which the rest, who were still walking a little behind, could not yet see. When they came closer, Julia could just make out the silhouette of a mast against the sky. It could only be a ship. 

"It _is_ the sea!" She said and they all walked a little faster. 

Within another few steps they could all see what Daniel could. They were standing before the harbor, and it was filled with all sorts of boats. Outside the harbor were the bigger ships, which couldn't be anchored in the shallow waters of the port.

"It's amazing!" Matthew voiced what they were all thinking. "Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"No." Julia replied. Mary shook her head. The latter had without a doubt seen even less of the world than her masters and mistresses had.

They walked on and didn't stop until Lady Kelly told them not to go nearer the edge. 

Their parents and Mr. Allenby walked a little on, but the children and Mary stood still, looking at all the doings in the harbor. Boats and ships were being loaded, and Julia noticed a very big ship outside the harbor being loaded from lots of small boats sailing back and forth between it and the breakwater. The ship was anchored a little away from the rest, and it looked different from the others. It had black sails and it looked somewhat nobler than the rest. Even nobler than the ones that had to belong to the royal fleet. 

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" A dark voice suddenly said behind them. They all spun around at the sound, and Julia instantly took Harriet's hand. The latter had let go of Mary's hand a little while ago, but as she saw the ugly-looking fellow in front of them, she clutched Julia's legs, trying to hide in her sister's big skirts.

Julia almost had a heart-attack. The speaker was without a doubt a pirate, and his hair was long and dark with braids and dread-locks. His beard was braided too, and she was positive he was the one from her dream. 

She bent down to lift up Harriet, who was scared enough not to complain.

Matthew stepped a little in front of the rest, trying not to look scared. The pirate smiled at them, but he obviously lost interest as none of them answered, and so he soon turned around to walk away.

"Are you a pirate, sir?" Daniel exclaimed excitedly and took a few steps towards the man. Matthew put his hand on his brother's shoulder to hold him back, but Daniel shook it off and took another step in direction of the pirate.

The latter turned around with an amused expression on his face.

"Aye!" He said and reached out his hand to Daniel. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, son, and who might _you_ be?"

Daniel took his hand reluctantly, but when he had first done so, he kept shaking it until the pirate withdrew his hand with another amused smile on his face. 

"I'm Daniel Kelly." He said proudly. "Can I try on your hat?"

"Daniel!" Julia replied, and Matthew stepped forth to draw him back to them. None of them were too fond of him coming too close to the pirate. Though he looked sort of kind, he probably wasn't. Pirates weren't kind. They were dangerous!

The pirate took off his hat and put it onto Daniel's head. The latter gleamed with joy and pride, and Julia thought she saw him shooting her a look telling her that he was right and she was not. Pirates _did_ walk around in Port Rewland.

"Now, if you'll excuse me…" The pirate said and took back his hat. "I have to get back to me ship!"

"Can I have your hat?" Daniel asked disappointed that it was taken from him again this soon.

"No, you cannot."

"But…"

"Daniel, you heard Mr. Sparrow!" Julia said and watched Matthew taking a firmer grip of his brother's shoulder.

"Good day!" The pirate said waving his hat to goodbye. Julia thought he blinked at Mary, but she was probably wrong. What would he do that for? She hadn't said a word!

~

"Did the pirate blink at you, Mary?" Matthew asked when they were trying to catch up with their parents. Julia was lost in her own thoughts. The encounter had worried her a bit, though Matthew had said she was a fool for being scared because of a dream. She hadn't told him yet that Jack Sparrow had been the one haunting her in her sleep. If she had, he might have given it another thought.

"Wasn't that just disagreeable?" Mary asked looking very offended. "No wonder he's nothing but a pirate with such a lack of manners!" 

"I think he was very nice!" Daniel said happily. He had recovered from the disappointment of not being granted his wish of having the hat.

"He was a pirate!" Julia said feeling cold down her spine. "He's not nice!"

The party soon caught up with their parents and Mr. Allenby. Daniel told about the pirate excitedly, and Julia noticed the worried look on her mother's face which hadn't been there before. Sir Richard and Mr. Allenby didn't hear him. They were talking politics. If they _had_ heard about the pirate, Mr. Allenby would probably have called for the soldiers to set after him. Pirates weren't tolerated in Port Rewland.

They walked on slowly, taking in all the new sights. Once in a while Mr. Allenby would stop to tell them about this or that, and Julia found it all very interesting. She knew that Daniel didn't. When the excitement had ceased a bit, he began complaining about the ball. He still wanted to come, and Julia kept telling him he'd come to plenty of balls once he was old enough. It didn't help much, and the boy kept complaining so much that in the end Matthew told him to keep quiet. It offended Daniel so much that he didn't say another word for the next quarter of an hour.

"Where's Daniel and Harriet?" Mary asked after a while of silence from both of them. No one had told Harriet to keep quiet, but for a couple of minutes she, too, had not said a word.

"They're behind us, sour because they can't go to the ball." Matthew replied without turning around.

"No, they're not." Mary said with an almost shrill voice.

Julia turned around quickly and found out, to her big regret, that they hadn't kept close enough eye on her young siblings. They had both gone from their sight, and, instantly, Julia's dream came back to haunt her.

"It's him!" She exclaimed in a loud tone, making her parents and Mr. Allenby turn around again.

"Where are Harriet and Daniel?" Lady Kelly asked horror-struck running back to the others. "Where are they?"

"They're somewhere behind us, Mama." Matthew said and began walking. "I'll go find them!"

The rest of the party hurried along with him, Mr. Allenby getting the attention from a watchman.

A few minutes later a search for the children had been arranged, and four watchmen along with several civilians helped searching.

"We have to get back to the harbor!" Julia said, her voice being calmer than she had expected.

"Why is that?" Matthew asked walking on.

"Because he's kidnapped them! Just like he did to Harriet in my dream!"

"What are you saying?" Matthew shouted with fear in his voice. "Is it him? The pirate? From your dream?"

Julia nodded.

"Why didn't you say so?" He yelled and sped up. "We could've prevented it, then!"

"I thought you'd think I was stupid!" Julia said on the verge of crying. "It was just a dream! You told me so!"

"Yes. I'm sorry Jule… It's not your fault." Matthew replied while keeping his quick pace. Julia followed. "We just need to get to the port before they leave. God, what would he want them for?"

"Where are you going?" Sir Richard shouted and made everyone stop the search to take a look at Julia and Matthew, who looked quite determined. 

"To the harbor!" Matthew shouted back. "The pirate has them!"

"The pirate?" Mr. Allenby shouted in surprise. "What pirate?"

Everyone joined them in their walk towards the harbor, and the walk was long enough for them to explain everything. Both about Julia's dream and about the encounter with the pirate.

~

"They're gone." Julia stated with a sob as they finally reached the harbor. The ship was no where to be seen, and neither were Harriet and Daniel.

"No!" Her mother cried and broke down. Her husband supported her, and she would've fallen, if he hadn't.

"What did you say his name was, again?" One of the soldiers, who had been called for, asked Julia and Matthew.

"Sparrow. He said his name was Jack Sparrow." Julia replied with an empty expression on her face. She didn't cry, though she felt like it. Now wasn't the time for crying. It was the time for action, and she hated how all the men walked around looking at this and that, asking people questions. Her sister and brother weren't here, for Heaven's sake, and they wouldn't come back as long as nothing was done.

"Sparrow? I've heard that name somewhere before." The soldier said thoughtfully.

"Yes, he was the one Commodore Norrington of Port Royal used to chase." Another soldier added. "Maybe we should ask him for assistance?"

"I'll go talk to the Captain." The first soldier said and left.

It was settled within less than an hour. A messenger rode to Port Royal to find the commodore and bring him, and maybe a ship and a crew, back with him.

In the meantime everyone kept searching, though they had little hope of finding the children in Port Rewland. Most people were rather superstitious and believed Julia's dream to be a sign. No one had any doubts as for the pirate to be the one, who had kidnapped the children.

~

A couple of hours later the messenger returned on his horse. The poor beast was exhausted from the long and tough ride, but it had not been spared. The time was too precious in this matter.

The messenger brought news of Commodore Norrington and his crew of soldiers of the royal navy being on their way. They would come by ship, and it couldn't possibly take them more than a few hours to sail around the point that were between the two towns.

Though Matthew told Julia that she would never be allowed aboard the ship, she began to prepare herself for her first sail at sea. She felt that it was her fault that her sister and brother had been kidnapped, and so she had to get them back again, no matter what it'd take! Even if she had to face the evil pirate again! 

She was scared of him, but she was more scared that she'd never see Harriet and Daniel again.

---

A/N: I know! I promised you Jack Sparrow and all you got was this tiny paragraph about him. He _will_ be back, and so will Will Turner, to those of you who might prefer him to Jack (and I wonder why! He he…). Ooh, and the Commodore is on his way. I know some of you prefer him to all other characters. He won't be the bad guy in this. Promise. (And why do I feel like I write 'I promise!' way too much? I never keep my promises anyway!)

Okay, so enough of this. Review, please, and make me very, very happy!


	4. Stowaways

A/N: Finally! What you've all been waiting for! Ladies and… Oh, okay…. Just 'ladies', then… JACK SPARROW!!! Yes, I know. He was here in the former chapter as well, but it was so little that it doesn't really count. But he's the main character of this chapter, so read and enjoy, and remember to write me a little review. Thanks!

**Half-Devil** and **LoveJack**: Thank you so much for your reviews. I really appreciate you taking time to write them, and I'm thrilled to know that you want more, as I haven't written much to keep you interested yet. But thanks!

**Dawnie-7**: Thank you, again, for your lovely reviews. You know, I really appreciate the way you take time to review after each chapter. And to each story. I'm so proud that I've been able to trick a loyal reader into my net…! J Oooh, and I would NEVER make Captain Jack Sparrow the bad guy! Just so you know for future chapters and/or stories!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Walt Disney Pictures does. I do not own the characters Jack Sparrow, Ana Maria, Commodore Norrington, or Will Turner. I do own the rest of the characters so far.

~ Miss Sofie

---

Chapter Four - Stowaways 

Captain Jack Sparrow steered his ship towards her destination in high spirits. The visit to Port Rewland had been successful, and no one had noticed anything queer about neither the captain nor his ship, in spite of the fact that they had both been visible to everyone. It had, without a doubt, been different if they had been to Port Royal. But Jack wasn't stupid. He wouldn't go near that port anytime soon. There was a price on his head there, and as he intended to stay alive, he had withstood the temptation to commandeer one of the ships of the royal navy so far. Or at least for the past three months!

The sun was shining brightly, but the wind was strong. It made the Black Pearl, Jack's beloved ship, shoot through the water like a shark smelling blood.

This was what life was supposed to be like all the time, he thought. He didn't need to plunder vessels or raid towns, if only he could stay behind the rudder of the Pearl for all time. It was all he needed. Oh well, so maybe he did need food to stay alive, and to get food he needed gold, and to get gold he had to board merchant ships. Not that he found it an unpleasant thing to do. He just enjoyed sailing more than plundering.

It would've been a perfect afternoon, if it hadn't been for his crew pestering him with questions all the time. Sometimes he wondered how they had become pirates, as they seemed to be the least independent creatures he had ever seen. Most of the time he liked them, maybe even loved them in some peculiar way, but right now they were close to making him go crazy. He just wanted to be left alone to the beauty of watching his ship breaking the waves.

"Captain!" Ana Maria's voice broke the momentary silence. Ana Maria was the only female allowed aboard the Pearl. With her leather pants, white shirt and dirty language, she seemed almost as male as any member of the crew, and she probably worked twice as hard.

"What?!" Jack barked annoyed because of the interruption. He didn't look at the mulatto woman, who was – if he had taken the time to look closer – actually rather pretty. 

"We found them in the hold."

Reluctantly, Jack took his eyes off the horizon and faced Ana Maria. The sight that met him took him quite aback. She was holding a young boy and an even younger girl by the collar. The boy couldn't possibly be more than ten years old and the girl five.

He had a feeling of having seen them before, but where? He rarely associated with kids, but they both seemed somewhat familiar.

"What the devil are ye doing here, you scalawags?!" He shouted but regretted as he saw the boy wince and the girl try to hind behind Ana Maria. Oh, so maybe this wasn't the way to talk to kids, what did he know?

As they were obviously too scared to reply, he coughed slightly and rephrased his question.

"I mean, what are you two doing here?" He asked sounding a little less hostile. He had no idea of how to address kids, as he was neither used to nor had expected to see any aboard his ship. He wondered how they had managed to sneak past his crew unnoticed. He'd have to tell off whoever had had the watch in Port Rewland. Things like this did _not_ happen on the Pearl as long as he captained her!

"I'm sorry, sir." The boy finally answered. Jack instantly recognized the voice. It belonged to the boy who had asked him about his hat in the harbor. What was his name? Kelly? But where were his older sister and brother? And the girl, who looked like she was a maid? He felt sorry for her. Living with the aristocracy, but below it, had to be worse than living below and without it.

"Are you the only ones? Or are there any more of you in my hold?" He asked not noticing that he was sneering at them again. It was his usual way when his crew was near.

None of the kids had the courage to reply, and as Ana Maria let go of their collars to take over the rudder, the girl hid behind her brother.

"I said…" Jack said impatiently. He sighed and continued in a somewhat softer tone. "Are you the only ones?"

"No, sir. I mean, yes. Just the two of us." The boy replied. His voice cracked, as he was close to tears.

Jack looked flustered for a few seconds. He had no idea of how to deal with kids. _Weeping_ kids were an even bigger mystery to him. 

He waved his hand in the air to motion them on. The only thing he could think of was feeding them. They must've been in the hold since Port Rewland, which would be quite a few hours already. Some food would do them good, he thought, and so he led them to the Pearl's galley.

~

The food _did_ do them good. At least it made the boy believe that Jack didn't mean to harm them, though he spoke so frighteningly.

"Now, tell me…" Jack began when they had all had a hunk of bread and a cup of water. Though he felt like fetching a bottle of rum, he didn't. They were kids, and – pirate or not – he knew better than to drink in their company. "…Why on earth didn't ye stay home?"

It was still a mystery to him.

"Because…" The boy said gnawing the bread. "…I've always wanted to try to sail, and we've never seen the sea before."

Jack could hardly believe it to be true. He had seen the ocean every day as long as he could remember. He felt pity for the kids but though he understood the boy's reasons perfectly, it didn't make his actions less wrong.

"Am I to understand that you dragged your sister along because of your own egoism?" He asked trying to sound firm without scaring the kids, but the boy just looked at him with a blank expression on his face.

"What is 'egoism'?" He asked innocently and made Jack chuckle.

"Never mind." The latter replied and finished the hunk of bread. Then his voice grew genuinely interested. "Tell me, how did you get past me crew? They were supposed to throw burglars like you overboard!" 

"We're not burglars, Mr. Sparrow!" The boy said and moved a little back on the bench. Though still somewhat frightened, he obviously didn't intend to let anyone offend him or his sister.

"Ah, so you remember my name?!" Jack said smugly. "I'm not sure I got yours, Miss?"

"Her name's Harriet. She's my baby sister." The boy replied for his sister. "And my name is Daniel."

"I remembered that!" Jack exclaimed miffed as the young boy's remark went right home. He hadn't remembered until Daniel mentioned it.

The girl didn't say a word, and so Jack sat talking to Daniel for a while, trying to make them both feel better. He was not an evil man, and the last thing he'd ever want to do was kidnap children, but he couldn't possibly turn around now. They were too far from Port Rewland already, and they couldn't afford to go back. It would be a waste of time, and he really had no time to waste.

If the kids had been pirates it would've been easy. Enemy pirates were either fed to the sharks or marooned on a desert island. Not that Jack had ever had the chance to do so to anyone. It was just the rule. But these were kids. They weren't enemies. And they definitely weren't pirates. 

He hated it, but he felt like he had to take care of them.

Come on, Captain! They got into this on their own. You have no responsibility for them at all! He tried to tell himself, but it didn't help. Maybe it was because he kind of liked them. The boy was obviously proud of speaking to a pirate, though also very observant of his every move, and the girl was so young. Though she didn't say a word, there was something likeable about her. Maybe that was the reason why. She was silent. Women rarely were. It was nice, for a change.

He knew he wouldn't come to a conclusion of what to do as long as they were there with him. It made him unable to think rationally, as it was such an unaccustomed situation for him to be in.

In the end he called for Ana Maria to take over the baby sitting. He needed to get out. Being outdoors always made him think more clearly. Hopefully he'd know what to do after inhaling the fresh October air. He sure didn't now.

~

In Port Rewland Julia and the rest of her present family waited impatiently for Port Royal's commodore and his men to arrive. During the waiting time Julia learned from a soldier (who spoke a little too much to the young woman than approved by her parents) that the commodore was very eager to catch Sparrow, as the two of them had some sort of dispute. Commodore Norrington despised the pirate more than he did any other pirate – probably because he had caught him twice already, and the pirate had gotten away both times.

Julia felt comfort in knowing that the commodore would do whatever it'd take to catch the wicked brute, and she looked very much forward to his arrival at Port Rewland. She just didn't understand that it had to take so long. From what the soldier told her, Port Royal was just around the point. 

"It's here! The ship is here!" Matthew was the first to shout. Both he and Julia had been keeping watch, though plenty of other people were doing the same thing, among them the soldiers.

"Finally!" Julia exclaimed and hurried to their parents. "Papa! Mama! The ship is here!"

"Very well." Her father said calmly. "There's no need for you to stay any longer, then. Why don't you let Mr. Allenby escort you, and your mother, and Mary back to his place? He has been so kind as to let us stay with his family instead of at the inn."

"But Papa!" Julia exclaimed surprised and not without annoyance in her voice. "I'll be coming with you!"

"I beg your pardon?" Lady Kelly said not less surprised. "My daughter? On a ship with too plenty of soldiers aboard? Hunting pirates?"

"She will not be going." Sir Richard said firmly, putting an end to the discussion.

Julia felt like crying her frustration out loud, but she didn't. She controlled her anger and left to go watch the berthing of the ship with Matthew.

~

"Julia!" Sir Richard caught his daughter's attention. "Commodore Norrington is the one who'll help us bring back your brother and sister."

Julia turned around and saw his father flanked by a tall, distinguished-looking gentleman and a somewhat younger and more plain-looking man.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kelly." Commodore Norrington said with a courteous bow. "Mr. Turner here will help us too. He knows the pirate better than I do."

The young man bowed as well with a quick, insecure look at the commodore. The latter smiled amusedly, but he didn't say anything further.

"Nice to meet you, Miss." Mr. Turner said and straightened up. "And don't worry, your sister and brother are in good hands…"

"How can you say that, Mr. Turner?" Julia cut him off. "They've been kidnapped by a pirate!"

"With all due respect, Miss… I don't know what happened, but Jack Sparrow would never harm children. He doesn't have the heart to do such a thing. And it is a mystery to me why he took them with him in the first place."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Turner, but I cannot share your view on the situation, though I'd wish I could…"

She had meant to continue, but a warning look from her father stopped her. She didn't know this young man, and she shouldn't be starting an argument with him. Besides, he _did_ want to help, didn't he? He wasn't the enemy.

~

"What are you doing?" Matthew whispered as Julia tried to sneak aboard the ship.

"Getting Harriet and Daniel back!" She replied determinedly. 

"But Father will give you a house arrest if he finds out. And he _will_ find out!"

"He can't give me a house arrest on sea, can he?"

"No, but he can as long as we haven't left the harbor yet!" Sir Richard's voice sounded behind her. He didn't sound as angry as you could've imagined. "Now, get back to your mother. You'll have plenty to do with the ball and all. When we return it'll seem like we haven't been away at all, because you've been busy."

"Papa!" Julia cried out in shock. "You do not believe that we'll go to the ball now?"

Her eyes were wide from the shock, and she really couldn't believe her father's thoughts.

"This is no business for women. Attend the ball or not. I'd prefer it if you did, for Mr. Allenby."

"I am _not_ going to that ball!" Julia said in a firm tone, attracting the looks from a few of the soldiers already onboard the ship. "I'm coming with you!"

"Please, Julia. Lower your voice!"

"I will not lower my voice until you let me come along!"

"Julia! Please!"

"No! You can't keep me here."

"But this may be dangerous. I wouldn't want to jeopardize your life."

"But what about Matthew's? Don't you care about his life?"

"Yes, of course I do, but he's a man. Try to be reasonable!"

"Well, Harriet is a girl too, and she'll need someone to take care of her once we find them."

"We'll bring Mary."

"Oh, so a _servant_ is better than _me_, your own daughter?" Julia said though feeling bad about talking of Mary like that. She was more than a just servant to her, and even if she hadn't been, she still would've felt bad about speaking kind of ill of her.

"Julia, please…!"

"Sir, is she coming or not?" It was one of the soldier's interrupting. They were ready to go.

"Coming!" Julia said, and before her father reached objecting any further, the soldier had helped her aboard.

"Then, can we at least bring Mary, too?" Sir Richard said loudly. Then he continued in a mumble to Matthew: "Then at least she'll have a chaperon among all these soldiers!"

Matthew smiled to himself. He knew his sister much better than their father did, and he believed Mr. Turner to be a much bigger threat to her honor than any of the soldiers.

---

A/N: How did you like Jack Sparrow? And what about Will Turner? I know, you can't tell much from what was said about him. But who knows? He might just have quite an important part to play in this yet, and if that is the case, you'll be hearing a lot more about him.

Thanks for reviewing!


	5. A Differ of Feelings

A/N: Ahoy, lasses! Don't you just love pirates? I do, that's for sure! Anyway, I'm sorry for painting such a bad picture of our beloved pirate captain in this chapter. I know it may sound as if he's really degrading towards women, but I have my reasons for making him that. You'll see later, why I make him behave like that. And as for Will Turner still being attached to Elizabeth Swann or not…I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see! You'll find out in chapter six, as I can't tell you just yet. And yes, I do know the answer to the question. It's not because I don't know that I don't want to tell you. As before…I have my reasons!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney does. Disney also owns the characters Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Ana Maria, and Commodore Norrington.

I do own the character Julia Kelly and her family, the maid Mary Price, the serving wench Cassandra, and whoever may show up not included in the original script of the movie.

Read and review, please!

~ Miss Sofie.

---

**Chapter Five – A Differ of Feelings**

Julia let her head and most of her torso hang over the rail of the ship. She was sick. Very sick. Sailing was nothing like she had imagined. It was awful, disgusting, horrible and nauseating, and she almost wished she hadn't left the safe ground under her feet to go look for her younger siblings. Mary felt the same way, she thought, as the maid was hanging over the rail as well. She looked even paler than Julia felt.

"Girls!" Matthew said cheerfully from somewhere behind them. He wasn't seasick and he obviously enjoyed sailing. Julia thought she heard someone, maybe Mr. Turner, laugh at Matthew's remark.

"It's not funny!" She said with tears in her eyes. Not because she was sad, but because throwing up made her eyes water.

"No, it's not. I'm sorry." Matthew said trying to hide his laughter. Julia heard it all too well not to be angry with him. "But, really, why don't you just go have some of the tea that the cook has prepared for you? It'll help. I promise."

"It's true, Miss Kelly." Will Turner added. "The tea will do you good. I'll have some sent up for you, if you're not well enough to descend to the galley yourself."

Matthew gave a laugh, though Julia wasn't sure if Will Turner had tried to be funny or not. She chose to believe that he hadn't. It was the only way she wouldn't begin this trip with an aversion to him.

A few minutes later Will Turner returned with two cups filled with a hot, green liquid that looked nothing like tea at all. It also didn't smell too good, but as Mary took the cup from Will, Julia figured that she'd better do the same.

"What is this?" She asked with a frown and inhaled the smell of it. It was awful!

"It's tea made from dragon eggs and tadpoles!" Matthew said with a big grin and made Julia feel nauseous again.

"You're so funny!" She said sarcastically with a mean glare at him. Then she returned her look to Will.

"It's dandelion tea. It makes the seasickness go away." The latter said without laughing. Julia figured he was telling the truth, as he didn't look amused. Matthew still did.

"Go on and drink it, Miss Kelly!" Mary said as she had already emptied half of her cup. "It tastes really awful, but I already feel better."

Julia was about to refuse when she felt another wave of nausea. It made her take a big gulp of the sticky substance, and within a few minutes she felt much better. She drank the rest and thanked Will Turner for making her nausea go away.

"Thank Mr. Jones, the cook." He said and took the cups from the two girls. "He'll be delighted to have such fine company if you go thank him down in his galley!" He caught Julia's eye and made her wonder about his background. She had already learned that he was a blacksmith, but apart from that fact he seemed to be the perfect gentleman.

"Well, Mr. Turner. I do not know where to find Mr. Jones." Julia replied ignoring the look she knew her brother sent her. She was still angry with him.

"Then I shall take you to him, Miss Kelly!" Will replied and offered her his left arm. The other one he offered to Mary, and Julia was glad to see that he didn't slight her though she was a servant.

~

"Mr. Turner…" Julia said when they were seated around the otherwise empty table of the galley. Mr. Jones was preparing the dinner and didn't have time to entertain the young ones right now. "How come the commodore brought you on this trip?"

"I know Jack Sparrow, Miss." He replied and looked her in the eyes. "And I don't know if I can find him for you, but I'll do my best. Commodore Norrington isn't exactly on the best of terms with Jack Sparrow, and he wouldn't be able to get in contact with him unless he starts firing his canons at him and his ship."

"Would he do that?" Julia asked widening her eyes. "He could kill Harriet and Daniel!"

"No, he wouldn't do that. That's why he brought me. Jack Sparrow won't mind talking to me, and he won't try to escape me."

"So you're our trump card, once we find the vile pirate!"

"You could say so." Will said with a small laugh. "But I really wouldn't worry so much. I've sailed with Jack Sparrow, and he's not as vile as to kill people unless they try to kill him first."

Mary gave a start at this and her mouth opened to say something. She closed it again without a sound, though.

"But what if Daniel tries to escape? What if he tries to kill the pirate? He's a very brave little boy."

"Jack Sparrow would never kill your siblings, Miss Kelly. He's a good man!"

"A good man? A pirate? It's very entertaining, Mr. Turner, but I hardly think you're right!" Julia said with a snort. "He's a criminal, and criminals aren't any good!"

"You've sailed with him?" Matthew enquired before his sister had the chance to say anything further. 

"Yes, it was around three months ago. He saved my life when another pirate captain tried to kill me. I saved his life when Commodore Norrington was about to have him hanged." Julia was about to say something, but Will didn't let her. "And before you say anything, Miss Kelly, yes, I do think it was the right thing to do. He hadn't just saved my life. He had also saved the life of the governor's daughter, and he had helped getting rid of the evil pirates and their captain, Barbossa. Still, Commodore Norrington wanted to hang him. I know the commodore hates me now, but I had to save Jack! It was not fair to hang him when he had helped us all the way he had."

"Well, I suppose the commodore shows you a great deal of civility by allowing you aboard his ship with no hard feelings, then." Julia said and looked away. She was determined not to believe that a pirate could be a decent man, but still Will Turner had made her feel a little less worried.

"Indeed! But I do think you'll notice later that he does have a certain amount of hard feelings towards me. I can't blame him. I denied him his biggest wish."

"To hang the pirate." Matthew stated and looked thoughtful for a moment. Will Turner didn't reply.

"I believe that you believe the pirate to be a good man, but tell me, why did he kidnap my sister and brother, if he _is_ such a good man?" Julia said not knowing what to think of Mr. Turner. He looked as such an agreeable young man, and his manners showed the same, but she couldn't quite agree with his opinion on this topic. Maybe he was just very naïve. It did give him credit that he kept faith in his friend, the pirate, though. Even though Julia was sure that Will had been deceived by the pirate some way or another.

He sighed before answering.

"I do not know, Miss Kelly, but if I did I would tell you. But I promise you – and I'll promise you again, if necessary – that he will not hurt a hair of your siblings' heads. He's no ordinary pirate!"

Julia noticed the slightly wary tone in his voice and chose not to confront him any further with it. She still couldn't get into her head that a pirate could be anything but vile and brutal, but she kept silent. 

"Mr. Turner…" Mary said changing the subject. "Do you know where we're heading?"

"Tortuga!" He replied and watched the surprised expressions on his new friends' faces. Then he looked straight at Julia. "So, as you see, you'll have plenty of opportunities to meet with less decent man than Jack Sparrow!"

~

"Ana Maria!" Jack yelped and made the female crew member hurry towards him. His voice told her that he was in a bad mood, and there was no need to ask for trouble by ignoring him or letting him wait.

"Aye, Captain!" Ana Maria said and noticed that the two kids were by Jack's side.

"You'll be coming with us!" Jack said with no further explanation. They had anchored right outside the port of Tortuga, and Jack was going ashore with the kids. He didn't know what else to do, as he couldn't exactly take them with him on his impending quest. In Tortuga he knew lots of women who would love to take care of the kids for him, he reckoned, and now he needed Ana Maria to walk with him and the kids so no one would think he had gone all soft and fond of children. He was not a man to associate with little ones!

"Aye!" Ana Maria replied and lifted the girl over the rail. Jack was already in the small boat that should take them to the shore, and he took the kids from Ana Maria and put them down, gently, onto the bottom of the boat. 

"Are you okay?" He asked with a frown at them. They looked scared, but why wouldn't they be? He hadn't told them where they were going or what would happen. He didn't know how to do so.

"Yes, sir." Daniel replied and sat down. Harriet kept silent. 

"It's 'Captain'!" Jack sighed. He admitted to himself that he had thought it nice in the beginning, but the girl's refusal to talk was getting on his nerves. Especially as Daniel had told him that, usually, she would not stop talking. Was it something he did? Maybe he wasn't good with kids, but he had done what he could to make them both feel better. He had tried not to shout too much at his crew whenever the kids were around, and he hadn't raised his voice at them a single time since Ana Maria had put them before him. What more could the girl possibly want?

~

In town Jack's spirits rose as quickly as they had fallen. Apart from the Pearl and the ocean this was his favorite place to stay of all. There was plenty of rum and it was cheap. Hell, even the women were cheap! The town had everything a pirate could ever want, and Jack felt very much at home.

The kids didn't, it seemed, as the girl began crying when a drunken man flung his fist into another man's belly. Jack took a hold of the girl's hand, but she withdrew it and held on to her brother instead. Okay, so maybe this was the one thing that he didn't like about Tortuga. People were always fighting. It wasn't fit for the eyes of small kids! 

Jack shook the feeling off of him and took in everything that came with his beloved town. He knew he'd never get to see Paradise, but he was sure that this was what it would be like. That is, if he had been a believer, because _that_, of course, he wasn't!

"I'll be back in a minute, Captain." Ana Maria said and hurried away.

"Wait! Ana Ma…" Was all Jack reached to say before she had vanished from the street. He hadn't yet figured out how she always managed to do that without him reaching to object. But what the hell! He could manage without her.

He opened the door to his regular tavern and gave a quick glance around. When Daniel wanted to enter it, he held him back. 

Jack's eyes soon found what they were looking for, and he smiled when recalling the last time he had seen her. She had been dressed a little less properly (as had he), and he had been drunk enough to think her pretty. Now he just thought she was plain, maybe even a bit boring, but there was no need to let her know. He needed her help.

"Cassandra!" He yelled through the room and made a few people turn to stare. Most of them gave him a nod before returning their looks to their rum or, in very few cases, to the ones they were talking to.

"Jack!" The serving wench shouted back and placed two glasses of rum on a table. "Stop shouting and come in here!"

"I can't." Jack said lowering his voice a little. "I've got company!"

Cassandra looked very displeased at hearing this, and a few seconds later she was on her way towards him, hands on hips and in a rather furious pace.

"Jack, you…" She said and raised her hand as to slap him. When she opened the door properly, she saw the two kids by his side.

Jack stepped backwards, but her hand had stopped in midair. 

"You've brought little ones!" She said and bent down. Her voice was a lot warmer than a moment ago. "Hello there! Who are you?"

"I'm Daniel Kelly!" Daniel said and reached out his hand to take hers. Jack chuckled as the boy kissed the hand Cassandra held forth. 

"Well hello, Daniel. I'm Cassandra. And who are you?" She asked looking at Harriet. The girl didn't reply, but she didn't hide behind her brother, as Jack had expected her to, either.

"Her name is Harriet Kelly. They boy's little sister." Jack said and looked at her thoughtfully. So he wasn't the only one, to whom she wouldn't talk!

"I must say, Captain…" Cassandra said with a flirtatious look at Jack. The latter smiled complacently at the mention of his title. Most of the time people forgot, though he reminded them constantly. "I had never thought you'd show up here with kids. I never thought you were the type!"

"Nah, I'm not." Jack said with a frown. What was she doing? Her fingers trailed up his face, and though it would've appealed to him at any other time than this, he felt disgusted by it. There were kids present!

He backed a little away as Cassandra moved closer to kiss him. Whoa! He was not drunk enough for that! In fact, he hadn't had anything to drink at all today. That rarely happened.

"Not now!" He said annoyed as Cassandra moved closer again. She ignored him and kissed his ear.

"For crying out loud, woman! I said: Not now!" Jack exclaimed and jumped back. She was freaking him out. There were kids present, and still she wanted to make out. Where was her sense of decency? He wasn't really sure whether he wanted to leave the kids with her, after all. It might be a horrible experience for them.

"Suit yourself!" Cassandra said sarcastically and lifted up her skirts to go back inside. "You said you loved me, but you obviously don't!"

Jack didn't recall anything about having said such a thing, and he was positive he had never taken those words in his mouth. Oh well, maybe once or twice when it had been his only way to get out of a fight with some woman or another, but he had never said it to Cassandra, he was sure. Almost sure…At least!

"What's so funny?" Cassandra demanded when she had turned around to face him. He had a smile on his face, as he was recalling one of the times that he had said those words to a woman. It had been hilarious! She had started crying of happiness, and the next day he had been gone. He wondered where she was now. She had been quite a dish!

"I'm sorry, love!" Jack said and spread out his arms to take her in them. He knew she'd despise him forever for this, but he really needed her help. "I've missed you!"

She bought it and ran back into his arms and started kissing him all over. All the time Jack was smiling with amusement, though careful not to let her know. It wasn't hard, as she had closed her eyes, and he only had to respond to a single kiss or two to satisfy her. He made sure, though, to be turned away from the kids. There was no need for them to see anything, though they did no more than kissing.

~

"Well, well, well, Captain!" Ana Maria's voice tore Cassandra away from Jack, Though embarrassed, he was glad to have an opportunity to get away.

"Shut it, Ana Maria!" Jack said and tried to trail the back of his hand over his mouth without Ana Maria noticing. He didn't succeed and she gave a little laugh.

"Who's she?" Cassandra asked offended.

"She's just a member of me crew!" Jack sighed and wondered why God had put women on this earth. Their jealousy was so tiresome! But then again, it _was_ hard for women not to be jealous when he was around, he thought very confident of his effect on women.

"Aye! It's true, Cassandra!" Ana Maria said as the serving wench looked very disbelieving.

"Alright, then!" She said at last. "But whose are the kids?"

"See, that's kind of the problem…" Jack began. "They're not ours. I mean, they're not mine, they're not Ana Maria's, they're not anyone's we know."

"But what are you doing with them?"

"They came aboard me ship…" Jack said and moved his eyes from Cassandra to send a stern look at Ana Maria. "…While the crew was keeping a watch in Port Rewland."

"What? Like stowaways?"

"It appears so!"

"What are you gonna do with them? You're gonna bring them back, right?"

"N…yeah, eventually!" Jack said looking at his feet. "I'm just a little too overwhelmed with…eh…I've got some things to do before I can bring them back!"

"And you want me to take care of them?"

"What? No, that's not why I'm here. I mean, I couldn't, possibly, ask you to…" Jack tried but then decided it was better just to give it a go. "Would you?"

"Jack, you know I'd want to, but I can't!"

"But they're not safe with me! Please, Cassandra, love?!"

"Jack…" Cassandra sighed. "Alright, but you have to promise me you'll come back for them!"

"Of course I'll come back for them!" Jack said in high spirits. "And I'll be back for you, love!" He added with sly a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

Cassandra looked so lost in him that Ana Maria, who had been listening to it all, couldn't help but laughing out loud.

"Alright, Daniel, be a good boy!" Jack said and squatted down. "Take care of yours sister, okay?"

"Are you leaving us, sir?"

"It's Cap…" Jack sighed but didn't finish his sentence. "Yes, but not for very long."

"Will you come back?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Ehm…in a few days, I think." Jack said and avoided Daniel's look.

"Will you bring us home to Mama and Papa?"

"I'll see what I can do." Jack said still not looking at the boy. 

"Promise?"

Jack really didn't want to promise anything he couldn't keep. Least of all to the kids. 

"Do you promise that, Mr. Sparrow?" Daniel asked again.

"Yes, I promise!" Jack said with a little shake of his head. "And you, Miss Harriet… Make sure to do as my friend Cassandra says, okay?"

The girl just looked at him with and empty expression on her face. She did not utter a word.

"Alright." Jack sighed and was about to get up again, when something made him put his arms around the boy and hug him awkwardly. After a few seconds Daniel let go of his pride and hugged the pirate back. When Jack wanted to take Harriet in his arms, she drew back from him, making it very clear that she did not want to be hugged.

"What have I done to deserve this?" Jack muttered inaudibly, but Ana Maria's coughing made him stand up and feel ridiculous. He was a pirate. He was even a captain – of the Black Pearl! He did _not_ care about kids!

Pirate captain or not – Jack Sparrow did not notice the figure hiding in the dark of the alley, who was watching him saying his goodbyes to the kids. If he had noticed, everything may have turned out differently.

---

A/N: And yes, you'll have to wait till the next chapter to find out who's hiding in the dark. In the next chapter, the Kelly family will meet the pirates, and that's gonna be interesting. A little action coming along as well, I can reveal, and it's all got something to do with the stranger in the dark! 

Please review!


	6. Collision Course

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. 

I hope you read the fifth chapter, **Julie**. If you did, you'll know that Jack isn't the bad guy. Hey, you know me! I love him too much, but I cannot love him any less! I could NEVER make him the bad guy!

And **Dawnie**, I'm glad to see that you have the same view on our own sex that I have. We're so unfair. Our whole life through! Luckily, we're adorable at times, too. Otherwise no one would have a chance with either Will or Jack or people like them! And I can assure you that you're safe from feminist groups when reading my stories! I'm very much against them myself!

Anyway, I'm just babbling. I should be uploading!

Disclaimer: I do not own PotC or any of the characters Jack Sparrow, Ana Maria, Will Turner, Commodore Norrington and whoever may show up from the original script. Disney does.

I do own the rest of the characters.

Read and review!

~ Miss Sofie

---

**Chapter Six – Collision Course**

Julia watched the sunset from the bow of the ship as they sailed towards Tortuga. The weather was fine now, and the ship rocked gently on the almost non-existent waves of the Caribbean Ocean. She had been talking to Will for a long while, but then the Commodore had wanted the young man elsewhere. Julia had a feeling it was her father's doing. She had been talking too long with Will, and he wanted to prevent anything from happening. Julia sighed at the thought. Will Turner _was _a very agreeable, young man, and she admitted to herself that she had dreamt about him last night. They had been on their way for a little more than 24 hours now, and she felt that she was beginning to get to know Will. He hadn't told her much about himself, but she had started to like him anyway. As long as they didn't touch the subject, which occupied all minds on the ship, Julia felt that they came along very well. Matthew must've felt it too, 'cause he had begun to leave them alone whenever he got the chance. With Mary around as a chaperon, though, Julia hadn't had many chances to be alone with Will yet, but she was sure they'd come. She wasn't impatient. She just felt a tickle or two inside every time he approached her.

A couple of hours later Julia caught sight of a small light in the distance. It was black all around, and if it hadn't been for the sound of the small waves breaking on the ship and the smell of the salt water, she wouldn't have known they were at sea. It was impossible to make out anything in the dark.

She watched the small light coming closer and after a while she could see the lights from the entire town that was Tortuga.

"Tortuga!" She whispered and watched the town coming closer. A big ship was anchored outside the port, and in the dark it was hard to make out what kind it was. It was black against the lights of the town, and if it hadn't been, Julia would've been able to see that the sails were made of black fabric. It looked spectacular, but also rather ghastly.

"The Black Pearl!" Someone stated and gave Julia a start.

"Commodore Norrington!" She exclaimed glad to see that it was not the pirate that she had – for a split second – thought it was.

"The dark almost makes her look good, don't you think? No one would know she was a pirate ship, if they had never seen her before!"

"Is it... Is it Mr. Sparrow's ship?"

"Yes, she is. I thought you'd be familiar with her. Didn't you say that you saw her in Port Rewland?"

"I did, but I haven't seen it in the dark before. I didn't recognize it."

"I'll remember that ship as long as I live. Did you know that three months ago she showed up outside Port Royal and almost fired the whole town to pieces with cannons stronger than anyone we had at the fort? And then they took Miss Swann…"

The commodore's voice had gone from friendly to angry in only a couple of seconds, and Julia thought there was something about the way he said 'Miss Swann' that sounded almost sorrowful.

"Was she…to be yours, Commodore Norrington?" Julia asked cautiously. He sounded as if he wanted to talk about it. Otherwise she wouldn't have asked.

"She was." Commodore Norrington replied, still in a sorrowful voice. Then he cheered up a bit. "Forgive me, Miss Kelly, I'm forgetting what I came here to tell you. Your father wants to see you below deck. He and Mr. Kelly are getting ready to go ashore. We're sending out a boat with six soldiers to stay near the Black Pearl and board her if necessary. Sparrow is probably getting drunk in a tavern already, so Mr. Turner will go ashore with you and a couple of my men to try to find him."

"Won't you be going ashore, Commodore?" Julia asked thinking it a bit strange that the one in command wouldn't come with them.

"The last time I let a ship of the Royal Navy out of sight with Jack Sparrow around, he stole it and sunk it. I'll be staying here, Miss Kelly!"

With that he clicked his heels and left Julia thinking even worse about the pirate than before. He hadn't just kidnapped her siblings. He had also kidnapped Miss Swann, whoever she was. Stealing and sinking a ship was the least of it. If he had killed the commodore's wife-to-be, he was definitely no good man, no matter what Will Turner said!

~

Tortuga was quite different from any other town that Julia had ever seen before. It was loud, dirty, violent, and drunk. At least the villagers of it were. She disliked it from the very time she set her feet on the pier. Everyone looked like pirates. It was impossible to tell who were criminals and who weren't!

Julia had persuaded her father to let her search for the pirate together with Matthew, Mary, and Will Turner, but only because she had hinted that she would make a scene if he wouldn't let her go ashore. She was a bit ashamed of behaving so bad, but she didn't want to be left behind. She wanted to help search for her sister and brother, and in the end her father had told her, with a sigh, that she could go, if she'd promise to stay close to Matthew.

She had, of course, promised that. It would mean that she was to stay close to Will Turner, too, though she wasn't sure what to think about him at the moment.

"Mr. Turner, did you know that Mr. Sparrow stole a ship of the Royal Navy once?" She asked when they had walked for a while. The silence had been awkward, and she wanted to know if he would still like the pirate after hearing what Julia believed had to be a revelation to him.

"Ehm…yes." Will replied and looked away. If it hadn't been dark in the street, Julia would've seen his slightly pink cheeks.

"You knew about it? And still you consider him your friend?"

"Yes, I do. I…sort of…helped him steal the ship. We had every intention of bringing it back, though. It was just a matter of life and death, then."

"You helped him…?" Julia asked with eyes wide from disbelief. "But then…you're a criminal as well! Now I know why the commodore doesn't like…" A cough from Matthew stopped her before she could offend Will too obviously. She understood, but she wasn't quite finished questioning Will yet.

"But then, did you know that he kidnapped Commodore Norrington's fiancée and killed her?" She asked determined to make Will Turner see that his friend was a bad guy.

"He did _not_ kill the commodore's fiancée!" Will replied annoyed. "And please, Miss Kelly, do not conclude anything when you don't know the facts!"

"But the commodore told me…"

"If the commodore told you that Jack Sparrow took Miss Swann away, then he's been lying to you! Barbossa did, and he tried to kill her as well, but Jack saved her life!" Will said furiously and made Julia feel a little wronged. She had only wanted to make him see what Jack Sparrow was really like. How was she to know that the commodore had lied to her?

~

Carefree, Jack Sparrow walked away from the tavern, in which he had found Cassandra. Well, almost carefree. He did feel a little bad for not bringing the kids back to their family, but he just didn't have the time right now. He could do that when he returned to Tortuga. Then he would have all the time in the world for bringing kids back to their families, and he would have no care in the world whatsoever!

"Now take a look at _that_, Captain!" Ana Maria brought Jack back to reality from his pleasant thoughts of the future. They had been walking in silence for a while. Ana Maria was one of the few women who knew when to keep silent.

"What?" Jack asked and screwed up his eyes. In the dark before them he saw a lady and a gentleman, a girl who looked like a maid, and…Will Turner?

"Will?" He shouted in surprise. "Will Turner?"

"Jack!" Will replied and hurried towards the still somewhat astounded pirate. "It's good to see _you_!"

He reached out to shake Jack's hand, but the latter was looking at the people behind the young man.

"You're the kids' sister!" He said even more surprised with a questioning look at Julia. "And…the brother?" He moved his eyes from the lady to the gentleman.

"Jack, this is Miss Kelly, Mr. Kelly and Miss Price." Will said politely, though politeness was wasted on Jack Sparrow. "And you know who Jack Sparrow is, I suppose." He continued with a look at the lady, which Jack couldn't quite understand.

"Nice to meet yous!" Jack said and stepped a little further, reaching out to take Julia's hand. She looked so terrified that he just _had_ to make a little fun!

"Don't you dare kiss my hand!" Julia said and backed away. "Where are they?"

"Who?" Jack asked pretending not to know what she was talking about.

"You know very well what I mean, Mr. Sparrow!" Julia said furiously. "You may have deceived Mr. Turner, but you won't deceive me!"

"What's wrong with her?" Jack asked Will, pleased by the fact that the ridiculous girl looked offended by his ignoring her and speaking of her at the same time.

Matthew, who had begun to believe what Will said about the pirate, and who therefore felt a little less hatred towards him, couldn't help but give a laugh as he knew his sister well enough to know that she was very offended by the remark. He kind of liked the pirate already. And, granted, his sister _could_ be a pest once determined. He loved her as a sister and treasured her as a friend all the same.

"Miss Kelly has had quite a troublesome journey worrying about her siblings." Will explained Julia's behavior and made her mood a little better at the same time. 

"Oh, but then why don't you go fetch them?" Jack asked with an amused look at Julia and an indefinable wave of his right hand.

"I would if I knew where to find them!" She replied with an angry look at him.

"They're at the Scallop. Will knows where to find it." Jack said indifferently and began walking again. "See you around, Will!"

"Wait! You can't just…" Julia began, but Jack cut her off. He was beginning to feel slightly annoyed by her presence.

"Can't what?"

"You can't just walk off like that! There are soldiers waiting for you everywhere. Did you really think you could get away with kidnapping children?!"

"Look, Miss Kelly!" Jack said pointing his index finger at her so close that he almost touched her nose. "I really don't have time for staying, soldiers or not. If I _did_ have the time, I'm sure it'd be fun to introduce your lovely face to the 'society' of Tortuga, but I don't. Will knows where to find your sister and brother. Farewell – I hope you'll never have the pleasure of meeting me again!"

He mocked a bow and stomped on again. Ana Maria hurried after him, knowing him well enough to see that he was really annoyed.

"Jack!" Will shouted and made the pirate turn around in a more agitated manner than he had meant to. He wasn't mad at Will. It was just the stuck-up girl that made him boil with rage.

"I don't know where to find the Scallop. You never showed it to me, when we were here."

Christ! What was it with young people nowadays? Didn't they know how to do _anything_ without help?

"Then search for it!" Jack said with a contrived smile. 

"Jack, please!" Will said and made the pirate sigh. "Just take us to the tavern and we'll be very much obliged to you."

"It _was_ you who took my sister and brother there in the first place!" Julia added trying to help Will persuade the pirate to help them. 

"Julia, cut it out!" Matthew whispered afraid that it would have the opposite effect.

It didn't. It made Jack feel guilty. Not for the girl or the young man's sake, but for the kids'. He was about to give in, when Julia continued her tiring speech.

"You know, Mr. Sparrow, maybe you should've taken them to some other place than a tavern. They _are_ only children, and I'm not sure everything in a place like that will be fit for their young eyes, and…"

"Enough!" Jack said and closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt a great desire to hit the girl, but he was not one to hit females.

"I'll take you to your siblings on one condition." He said after opening his eyes again.

"Which is…?" Julia demanded.

"That you shut up, Miss Kelly!"

~

She did. Shut up, that is. Julia Kelly did not say another word until they reached the tavern.

Actually, no one did. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, including Jack.

He was still very annoyed because he would be further delayed and because listening to the girl talking had been worse than listening to her sister _not_ talking. Stupid girl! And she didn't let the maid say a word. Could anyone be more stuck-up?!

Julia's thoughts were very similar to Jack's, though, of course, her bad thoughts were turned towards him – not herself. No matter what Will Turner said, the pirate had to be the most disagreeable and despicable human being she had ever met. He didn't even try to convince them that he hadn't kidnapped Harriet and Daniel! He just admitted and told them where to find them! Of course she was glad he had done so, but still! She would at least have tried to conceal her bad actions. He didn't. But he was, of course, a lawless criminal. What else could one expect from one of his kind? They probably didn't do anything if they weren't sure it was wrong!

Everyone was ripped out of their thoughts by the commotion that met them at the Scallop. Everyone seemed to be outside, not knowing what to do. Was it a fire or something? They couldn't see any flames or smoke anywhere.

"What's happened?" Jack asked one of the wenches that he knew worked in there. A sudden worry arose in him, but he lay it by telling himself he was being ridiculous.

"It's Cassandra. She was to take care of some kids for a man, I don't know who, and right when he had left her, someone came up to her and mugged her. When she woke up again the kids were gone. She didn't even reach to…"  
"Oh my God!" Julia exclaimed and for once Jack felt sorry for her, not annoyed with her.

"Who did it?" Jack roared hurrying to the lump on the street which had to be Cassandra.

"Jack!" She cried as he squatted down beside her. She put her arms around him, and he let her, though he didn't like the feeling of it. 

"Who did it, Cassandra?" Jack asked in a soft voice. "What did he look like."

"Thanks, Jack. I'm fine!" Cassandra said sarcastically before another series of sobs erupted from her.

Jack sighed. What was it with women? He had forgotten to ask about her well-being because he worried about the kids, and she got mad at him? He was sure it wasn't fair. Maybe he wasn't always fair to women, but they surely weren't fair to him either.

"I'm sorry, Cassandra." He said swallowing his pride. "I'm glad to see you're fine, but do you know who did it? We need to find him at once."

"He was rather tiny. And his hair went to above his shoulders. It was gray and a little curly. That's all I reached to see." She sobbed a little less fierce. "Oh, and his nose was quite big and bluish. As if he had once broken it and never gotten over it, or something."

"Thanks, Cassy! That's a great help!" Jack said and meant it. He knew the blue nose of his enemy much too well to have any doubts about who had kidnapped the kids!

"Oh…" Cassandra added. "And he told me to tell you to stay away. I don't know from what. He didn't say that before he hit me."

"I know what." Jack muttered to himself, but Julia had heard.

"Who is he?" She asked when Jack stomped away from the crowd, trying to get to his ship. "Mr. Sparrow, who is the man who wants you to stay away? And what does he want you to stay away from? And why did he take Harriet and Daniel with him?"

"It's really none of your business!" Jack said angrily without slowing down. Julia was practically running to keep up with him, and Matthew, Mary and Will were walking a little behind. None of them dared to demand anything of the pirate when he was in such a bad mood.

"Excuse me!" Julia said and stepped in front of Jack so that he had to stop quite suddenly. "I _do_ think it's my business! He's got my sister and brother, and I want them back! So if you'd be so kind – not that I expect you to actually be kind – as to answer my questions…"

Jack sighed and was about to shout to the girl that she should get out of his way. He was far too delayed to stay in Tortuga a moment longer, and she didn't exactly make it easier for him to get away. He pointed his index finger at her and opened his mouth to scold her, but he closed it again and withdrew his finger as he saw the desperate look on her face. So though she sounded very strong and confident, she was actually scared? Was that it?

"Look, Miss Kelly." Jack began in an almost friendly voice. "The man who has your siblings is a pirate, Nosy Nick, and he's one of the really bad eggs. He probably thinks that the kids are mine, as he must've seen me with them, and as he wants me to stay a…as he wants to use them against me, he's taken them. I didn't see his ship anchored anywhere when we came in, but as I haven't seen him for quite a few years already, he's probably lost it and found himself a new one. Or not."

"But what does he want you to stay away from?"

"Now _that_ is none of your business!" Jack replied with the anger returning to his voice. She was about as nosy as Nosy Nick!

"I guess it's not." Julia said to Jack's big surprise and looked away. "Do you know how to find this…Nosy Nick?"

Jack sighed at the thought of what he knew was coming when he had told her what he had to tell her.

"I don't have time to go looking for him. I'm already very late, and…"

"Late for what, Mr. Sparrow? You keep saying that you don't have time, and that you've been delayed, but you refuse to tell where you're going!"  
"Because I really don't think you need to know!" Jack replied, the last remnants of friendliness gone from his voice.

"But you're the only one who knows the pirate! You have to help us!"

"I don't _have_ to help _anyone_! I'm a pirate, and I don't live to help others. I live to survive, savvy?"

"And right now I live to get my sister and brother back, Mr. Sparrow!" Julia replied. She, too, was angry and thought that Jack Sparrow was the most obstinate person she had ever met. And how could he _not_ care about the children? 

"And why would I care?" Jack asked. "The kids aren't my problem anymore!"

But the problem was that he did feel that they were his problem. He did care about them, though he didn't want to, and after a few seconds of staring into Julia's eyes, trying to make her see that he was the stronger one, he gave in with a sigh.

"Alright! I'll help you find them, if you promise me this: Once we have them back, I'll drop you off at the nearest port, and you'll find your own way home from there, no matter where we are, savvy?"

"Okay." Julia said too surprised by his giving in to actually know what he had just said.

"Oh, and one more thing… As long as you're aboard me ship, you answer me 'Aye, Captain!' and you do _not_ call me Mr.! It's either Captain or no title at all! Preferably the first!"

"Aye, Captain!" Julia replied and smiled widely at him. She was finally beginning to understand that she had persuaded a dangerous pirate to go searching for her sister and brother, though he had been determined not to help her at all. She couldn't help but feeling a little victorious. Now she'd just have to clarify to Matthew and Will that they had to come along with Captain Sparrow. Mary would be no problem. She always came along.

---

A/N: Do you also feel like Jack should throw Julia overboard? I hope you do. He's supposed to be feeling that way about her, 'cause she's being a _real_ pest! She won't continue like that. Only for a little while. Promise! Oh, and thought she's kind of named after you, Julie, it doesn't mean that I think you're anything like her!


	7. Blowing out the Candle

A/N: 'Ello there, mates! Sorry for the late update. I've been sick. I still am, but I'm well enough to write now. Thank God! It was driving me crazy that I couldn't even write because I had to lie down. I'd wish I had a laptop.

Anyway, there's not much action in this chapter, as in most of my chapters. I'm just so lousy at writing action, that's why.

I changed the rating to PG13 because of sexual tension (kind of) and improper language for young ones, and I changed the genre as well. It's more romance/drama than drama/romance. And I'm not even sure about the drama thing anyway.

I just remembered something…In the first chapter I wrote about some trees which may not grow in the Caribbean. I must admit that I've never been to the Caribbean, and I have no idea whatsoever of which plants grow there, except for a few flowers and some kind of palm or another. Sorry 'bout the mistake in chapter one. Another thing…The Kelly family lived so far into the country that the children had never seen the ocean before. It's quite difficult not to have seen the ocean when living in the Caribbean, isn't it? Please forgive me for that mistake too! Thanx!

Thank you for your lovely reviews. I love each and every one of them!

Oh, and I really suck at chapter titles. Let me know if you have any good ideas!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Walt Disney Pictures does. I do not own Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Commodore Norrington, Barbossa, or the Black Pearl. Disney does. I do own Julia Kelly, Matthew Kelly, Mary Price, Harriet Kelly, Daniel Kelly, Nosy Nick, and whoever I forgot to mention who isn't in the originally script of the movie!

Read and review please!

Miss Sofie

---

**Chapter Seven – Blowing out the Candle**

Julia was surprised to see that Mary was actually the most reluctant to agree to sail with Captain Sparrow.

Will had been no problem to persuade at all. He hadn't said it directly, but Julia had a feeling that he'd much rather go with the pirate than with the commodore. When Julia had asked him to come along, his first words had been "Finally, a little action!" and then he had told her that sailing with Jack Sparrow could be a lot of fun, if you knew how to go around him and not complain too much about his ways. Julia thought that his last remark had been one for her, and she decided not to make too much trouble. She was just happy that the pirate would help. For now, that is.

Matthew had been a bit more difficult to persuade, but in the end she had made him see how important it was to sail with someone who knew where to find Nosy Nick, and that they had to leave at once in order to catch up with him as soon as possible. That's how she had gotten around to get going without letting her father and the commodore know. She knew they would've tried to stop them, and that just wasn't supposed to happen now. It was her sister and brother's lives they were jeopardizing. There was no time for explaining or for persuading anyone else but Will, Matthew, and Mary.

As for the last one of them Julia had been about to give up on her. She had refused over and over again to come with them, as she didn't like the pirate. She found him even more despicable than Julia did, and she didn't like the looks he sent her. She was afraid of what he might do to her or anyone of them. Julia had been close to rolling her eyes at this. He was a pirate. What kind of interest could he have in her maid and friend? She knew he couldn't stand her – the feeling was mutual – and therefore he couldn't stand her maid either. She hadn't told Mary, though. She had just told her that she had to come for Harriet and Daniel's sake. In the end it had done the job. Mary's sense of duty had made her agree to come along, though she was very reluctant to do so and kept saying that she didn't like it. That she didn't like it at all!

Standing on the deck Julia now watched Jack in awe, though trying not to let it show. She had been amazed by his way of getting past the navy's ship and the small lookout boat in the harbor. He had told everyone to keep quiet and then he had blown out the lights to avoid being seen. The boat had floated noiselessly towards the Pearl, and no one – not even Jack's own crew – had seen or heard them coming. The pirate had been proud of himself, but he hadn't let his crew know this. He had just scolded them for not keeping good enough watch. Julia hadn't yet figured out just why he had done that. He had wanted to get aboard unnoticed, and still he had been mad at his crew for letting him do so. But there was a lot about him that Julia did not understand.

She _did_ understand why he had made his ship shoot off like a cannonball afterwards. If the tales were true the Black Pearl was the fastest ship in the Caribbean, and only with this advantage could they get away fast enough to outrun the ship of the Royal Navy.

Julia watched how Jack steered his ship with satisfaction in his looks. It was a black and starry night, and she thought it safe to take a look or two at him in the dark. He actually looked more kind now that he was aboard his beloved ship. The frown had left his face and the moonlight made the trinkets in his long, dark braids glisten. A small, but content, smile played on his face. He was definitely feeling good, and he looked almost peaceful. Julia had never thought a pirate could look peaceful – only grim and frightening – but then again… A pirate could probably look whatever way he wanted to. Making the expressions people wanted to see was part of tricking them. He was probably doing that right now, though she was quite sure he hadn't noticed her watching him.

A few moments later Julia saw Mary ascend to the upper deck to go find her mistress. She had to pass the pirate rather closely on her way, and Julia knew she feared it. She could tell from the look on her face.

When she was about to save Mary by walking over to her instead, Jack did something quite unexpected, as he hadn't talked to any of the girls since they left Tortuga, and made Julia stop

"Oh, hello, Mary!" He said with one of those smiles that Julia found very improper, especially as he was addressing a lady much above his own station.

"How are ye feeling tonight? Enjoying the trip and the stars above us?" The pirate continued.

"It's _Miss Price_!" Mary answered and avoided looking at him.

"Sorry, love! I'm not used to such fine titles, ye know?!"

Love? _Love?_ Was the pirate trying to flirt with Mary? Julia was disgusted, and she couldn't help gloating when Mary ignored him and walked over to her. Who did he think he was? A pirate wasn't a match for her maid and friend. A pirate was no one's match! He ought not to flirt with her.

A few minutes later, when the girls walked back together, Jack sent them another smile. Julia had promised herself not to make too much trouble, but there was no need to be kind to him either, so she decided to just ignore him. Unless he did something unforgivable, of course.

"Good evening, Julia!" Jack said as they passed him and smiled seductively at her.

"It's Miss Kelly, Mr. Sparrow, and you know that very well!" Julia replied forgetting to ignore him.

"And you, Julia, know very well that it's _Captain_ Sparrow!" Jack mocked and Julia had a feeling that he was looking up and down her body, though she was clad in plenty of dresses to keep her warm at sea.

She felt her cheeks turn pink at the thought of his eyes on her. Thank God it was dark so he couldn't see it. He was being downright loathsome! Julia began to feel that maybe getting aboard his ship had been a mistake. For a split second she saw him before her as he carried Harriet over the shoulder in the garden at home. But no, it had only been a dream, and Will had promised her that he was not that kind of man. Oh, how she wished she could believe him!

Jack couldn't help it. Those girls were so easy to throw off balance. He had just _had_ to send them his most seductive smile, no matter what the outcome would be. The maid, Mary Price, had ignored him, but the stuck-up girl, Miss Kelly had actually blushed when they had passed him by. Yes, she had passed one of her usual remarks, but she had blushed. Oh, how he loved the impact he had on women! If only his parents could've seen him now! They would've been so proud!

Or…maybe they wouldn't. Jack thought to himself a moment later. No, they probably wouldn't. Hadn't his mother always told him to respect women?  Yeah, she had. He would've been a big disappointment to her, had she been alive. But he was sure she hadn't been talking about the aristocracy. Of course he could tease them a bit. He meant no harm with it anyway!

"Jack! No!" Julia said and tried to push him away gently. Jack looked her in the eyes just long enough to make sure she didn't mean it and continued kissing her neck.

"I've been waiting for so long." Jack whispered between the kisses, and the tickle of his breath together with the kisses, made the warmth spread from Julia's neck and out into her whole body.

"No, Jack. We can't!" She moaned, but did nothing more to make him stop.

"Of course we can, love!" The pirate replied and let his fingers trail down her body. Julia wasn't sure how, but somehow he had managed to open her dress and her corset with something that had felt like just one movement of his hand. Now the hand was caressing her warm skin, and she felt helpless. Not that she wanted help. She just figured that she kind of ought to want it.

"Jack! No!" She said more determined as his hand moved up to caress more than just her sides.

"Miss Kelly!" Mary's voice sounded from afar. "Miss Kelly, are you alright?"

Oh, perfect! Julia thought sarcastically. Mary was on her way to discover what was going on.

"I'm fine, Mary!" Julia said and opened her eyes. To her big surprise Jack had gone, and she and Mary were alone in the cabin they had been assigned. She was lying on one of the two plank beds, covered up in blankets, and both she and the blankets were wet from sweat.

"You didn't sound fine. Did you have a bad dream?"

"Ehm… Yes." Julia said and figured that that was what it had been. A bad dream. "I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"Tell me about it, Miss Kelly. It'll help."

Julia blushed at the thought of what she had dreamt of.

"It was nothing. Really."

"Was it the pirate again? You said his name."

Julia felt nauseous. Her first dream about him had come true. Did it mean that this dream… Oh God!

"I need to get some air." She ignored Mary's question and got up. "No, Mary, please go back to sleep. I'll be fine." She added as Mary began putting on her robes.

"Are you sure, Miss?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Mary. Thank you." She said and put on her own robes to go outside.

Jack had just come back from his nap when the stuck-up girl came up on the deck. He was alone, and the only sound that was to be heard was the Pearl breaking the waves. His most favorite sound in the world! And then _she_ came to spoil it. She was probably going to pick on him again.

When she noticed him standing by the rudder she was obviously surprised. What? Had she expected the deck to be all deserted? How was the Pearl supposed to sail, then? Jack noticed her trying to slip away again unnoticed.

"Miss Kelly." He said quietly. He was still a bit tired and he didn't have the energy to fight with her. He just didn't want her to turn her back on the captain either. "What is it about your captain that makes him so disagreeable that you can't show him just a little respect?"

Julia froze. Then she turned around slowly.

"Sorry, Captain." She said looking down. Jack had no idea of her recent dream, of course. "I just find it very difficult to respect someone who has taken away my younger siblings. Is it so hard to understand?"

Her voice was very weak, and Jack thought it trembled a bit as she spoke.

"If that's your impression of me, then I understand that you're not too fond of me." Jack muttered more to himself than to Julia. He continued in a louder voice. "I really didn't kidnap them!"

"Then how do you explain that they got aboard your boat, that you let them off in Tortuga with a stupid prost… girl who couldn't take care of them, and that you were about to leave them behind and never give them a second thought?! And why? Why did you do it?" Julia's voice was more agitated than a moment ago.

Jack sighed. Did she always jump to conclusions like that without questioning the inflicted parties first?

"Look, Miss Kelly… Your brother Daniel happens to be very fond of me and my kind. He sneaked aboard my _ship_…" Jack paused a second or two before he continued. "…with the little girl, because he was mad at his older sister and brother, who wouldn't let him speak. As Harriet is a very vivacious speaker herself, I've been told, he brought her along as she probably wouldn't be missed either. _That_ is why they got aboard me ship. I didn't kidnap them. Why, Miss Kelly, would I want that? Two kids from a family I have no grudges against accept they're stuck-up? What would I want them to come along for?"

"I really didn't understand that, either." Was all Julia said. She was obviously thinking about what he had just said. He silently hoped she felt guilty.

"Now tell me…is it true that your baby sister talks all the time?"

"Eh…sorry?" Julia said and made Jack chuckle. He knew she hadn't been listening.

"Your sister. Is it true that she talks all the time?"

"Harriet? Yes. Didn't you notice?"

"No, I did not. She didn't say a word after we found them in the hold."

"That is new!" Julia said, and Jack wondered if she was thawing up a bit. She'd better. He hadn't been the bad one in this. _She_ had accused _him_ of something he hadn't done. "Usually, she speaks more than I do. A lot more!"

Jack laughed heartily though he had a feeling that she'd be offended by this. She didn't. To his big surprise she smiled at him – she almost gave a laugh, he was sure – until he turned serious again.

"What's her voice like?" Jack asked and could've cut off his tongue. Why did he ask? He didn't care for the kids, and the girl's voice didn't interest him! He was a pirate, for Christ's sake!

Julia looked surprised at him, and he knew why. He really didn't need her to think he was soft. Not her, of all people, who would use it against him as soon as she got the chance!

"Jack! Miss Kelly!" Will's cheery voice saved him from further embarrassment. "Why don't you come join the rest of us?"

"Have you been drinking?" Julia asked with wide eyes at Matthew, who looked as if he had had quite enough. He just gave a laugh and tried to finish a story he had been telling Will.

"I think they have, love!" Jack replied for the two young men, who couldn't walk straight, and who only kept upright because they were holding on to each other.

He noticed Julia frowning at his last sentence, but he thought it was just her distaste for drunken people, which made her do so.

"Jack, we were juscht tsalking 'bout Noschy Nick." Matthew said without finishing the story he was telling Will after all. "Who isch he?"

Jack gave a laugh and Julia looked terrified. She probably wasn't used to seeing drunken people, least of all her own brother.

"Mr. Turner, did you get my brother drunk?" She asked angrily.

"No, Miss Kelly, I swear I did not." Will replied with a laugh. "He did that well enough himself!"

Jack roared with laughter as he saw the expression on Julia's face. She had, obviously, expected a different kind of answer.

"You're coming with me!" Julia said and grabbed Matthew's arm. Jack's voice stopped her. He was serious as he spoke.

"Did you want me to tell you about Nosy Nick?"

"Yesch, schir!" Matthew said and tried to stand alone. He couldn't, so Julia let go of him so he could sit down on a barrel close to them.

And so Jack began his tale about the wicked pirate, whom he knew better than anyone aboard the Pearl nowadays.

"Nosy Nick – I've forgotten his real name, but no one cares about it anyway – was once part of me crew here on the Black Pearl. It was more than ten years ago, and back then Barbossa was my first mate."

"Barbossa was the one who marooned Jack and stole the Black Pearl." Will explained, though neither Julia nor Matthew knew just what he was talking about.

Jack shot Will an annoyed look. Did the kid have to tell everyone that his crew had done a mutiny and stolen the Pearl from him?

"Sorry, Jack." Will said and looked away with a chuckle. Right. He was drunk!

"As I was saying…" Jack said and looked at Julia, who seemed to be the only one sober enough to talk to at the moment. She was looking at Will with something that looked like fondness in her eyes. Jack shook his head amusedly and went on. "…Nosy Nick was part of me crew, and I gave him his name because he always had to pry into other people's business. He always seemed to know things that were only meant for me and my first mate…"

"Barbossa!" Will interrupted to explain.

"Thank you, Will!" Jack said with an exaggerated and very sarcastic smile at Will and cast a glance at the girl. Yes, she was still looking very much in love with the young man. Oh, this was going to be so much fun! He looked forward to it already!

"I had a feeling that Nosy Nick was listening by the doors and going through my stuff when I wasn't in my cabin, and so I made a couple of me men watch him. They told me what I had always thought. Nosy Nick went through my private papers and even the pockets of my coats when I wasn't wearing them, and one day I caught him in my cabin, trying to steal the gold ornaments off the corners of the drawers, the door knobs, and everything else that glittered. Every pirate knows that it is a sin to steal from other pirates, unless they're the enemy, and so Nosy Nick became my enemy. The filthy bastard tried to steal pieces _of the __Pearl_! Unlike many of my crew members I didn't want to maroon him. I probably should've. He's been nothing but trouble ever since! Anyway, I thought I'd let him live as a pirate knowing that he'd never have a chance to be among the crew of the Pearl again. It's every pirate's dream, so I was naïve enough to think it punishment enough for him." Jack chuckled as he recalled how they had made Nosy Nick jump off the Pearl with no clothes at all in broad daylight and with most of the villagers of a faraway town watching. He kept it to himself, though.

"Nosy Nick swore he'd get back at me before he jumped…"

"Jumped? From what?" Julia enquired.

"Ehm… Nevermind." Jack said and looked away to hide a smile. "He swore he'd get back at me, and he's been trying ever since. When I…no longer captained the Pearl and Barbossa found Cortez' cursed treasure…"

"What is that?" Julia enquired again.

"Will will tell you later." Jack replied and watched Julia sending a look at the young man. She was obviously satisfied with this answer, so he continued his tale.

"Though I was, for a while, not the captain of the Pearl, his anger towards me grew stronger as he found out the Pearl's crew had found the treasure we'd been looking for for so many years. Nosy Nick was mad at me because it was my fault he didn't get a single piece of the gold. He should be happy. He would've been dead now if it wasn't for me. Everyone who got a piece of that gold has died."

"You haven't!" Will interrupted again and made Jack sigh.

"No, I haven't, but you were there, Will. You saw what happened. Now will you please let me finish?"

Will kept his mouth shot and Jack continued again.

"More than ten years obviously hasn't changed anything. Nosy Nick still wants to get back at me, which is why he took your siblings, Miss Kelly…"

"And mine!" Matthew shouted from the barrel that he was now hanging over more than sitting on.

"And yours, Matthew!" Jack said and smiled. He had believed the boy to be fallen asleep long ago.

"It's Mr. Kel…" A warning look from Jack stopped Julia before she could finish her sentence. She staid silent and awaited the rest of Jack's story.

"He obviously took the kids away because he thought they were mine. I don't know how he could possibly think I would have any kids, but he's never really been sane, if ye know what I mean. He's taken them, and we'll be taking them back. That's the end to the story. And now I think it's time for you to get some sleep!" Jack finished wanting to be left alone. He didn't feel well.

"But Mr. Sparrow…"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Julia, that it's either _Captain _Sparrow or plain Jack?!" He bellowed annoyed. He had swallowed his pride and called her Miss. Couldn't she, for once, swallow hers as well?

"Sorry, _CAPTAIN_!" Julia said sarcastically and just as annoyed as Jack. "But what is it that this…Nosy Nick…wants from you?"

"Didn't I just tell you? He wants revenge."

"Yes, but what does he want you to stay away from?"

"_That_ is still none of your business!" Jack hissed.

"But if it's got something to do with Daniel and Har…"

"Miss Kelly." Will said and took a grip of the lady's arm. He didn't have to say anything further. Julia probably wasn't stupid. She'd know that she was supposed to follow, and so she helped him get Matthew down to the cabin they shared with a couple of the pirates. Right before they disappeared under the deck, Jack noticed her turning around to send him a hateful look. It didn't bring him down any further. He felt the same way about her!

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A/N: What do you think? Should Julia have Will Turner? Or should he be married to Elizabeth Swann? I know what I think, and I've got a plan, but I might just be persuadable!


	8. Good or Bad?

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I kinda felt like I had to end it where I did. You'll see why. Thanks for your reviews. As always I appreciate them very much.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Walt Disney Pictures does. WDP also owns Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Ana Maria, Gibbs, Commodore Norrington, The Black Pearl, and anyone else from the movie I've failed to mention. I do own the Kelly family (the one in this story – not the Irish singing group), Mary Price, Nosy Nick, the Allenby's, Duncan, Marque, Foster, Jones, and anyone else from this story who isn't in the movie.

Miss Sofie

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**Chapter Eight – Good or Bad?******

Julia and Mary got up a little late the next morning. Julia had been very tired, as she had been up in the middle of the night and had had a hard time falling asleep again. Mary just waited for her mistress before she got up. They had their breakfast in the galley, before they got up on deck to get some fresh air.

To Julia's big surprise Jack was still standing by the rudder. She wondered if he had been there all night. If he had, he had quite a staying power.

She had no chance of knowing, of course, that he had just gotten up five minutes ago and not taken the time to eat breakfast yet.

"Goodmorning, Captain." Julia said and made Jack smile at the mentioning of his title. It was quite an unusual utterance from her.

"Goodmorning Miss Kelly. Miss Price." He replied with a courteous bow. Julia gave a little laugh but tried to hide her smile. Quite unusual for the pirate too.

"Have you seen my brother yet?"

"No, 'e's probably still sleeping away his hangover."

"Oh." Julia replied disappointedly. She would've liked to talk to her brother about her latest nightmare, though she didn't know exactly how to put it.

"But don't fret, my fair lady, he'll be up and about before you know it and ready to fight Nosy Nick once we reach him. And it won't take long now!" Jack chuckled at his own remark, and though Julia probably would've been offended at any other time than this, the fact that they were closing in on Nosy Nick made her in such a fine mood that she couldn't help but feeling slightly flattered, though she knew he was only making fun of her.

"We're catching up? That is good news. I'd better go tell Matthew and Mr. Turner, then." Julia said, but Jack stopped her.

"No need to. Your brother's asleep and Will's right there." He said with a nod towards the stairs. Will and Ana Maria were coming up from the galley, and Julia felt a twinge of jealousy when she saw them. They were talking and laughing at something, and she didn't like the thought of a pirate being able to entertain such a fine young man as Mr. Turner. Or the other way around. To her big relief the two of them parted as Ana Maria went over to help some of the other pirates rig a sail.

"Goodmorning Mr. Turner." Julia said just as happy again as before. "We've got good news for you. We're closing in on Nosy Nick!"

"Well, then I guess we'd better prepare ourselves for some fighting!" Will replied looking very excited. Julia hadn't thought about the fact that they'd have to fight him and that her siblings would probably be in great danger. It took the smile off of her face again.

Jack watched how the girl tried to flirt with Will Turner. The happy glint in her eyes as she spoke to him told it all. And if the young man hadn't noticed yet, he definitely would when she turned scared and wanted his comfort. A comfort that he couldn't give her. Will wanted to fight, the girl wanted to be safe from fighting. But she was the one who had wanted to come along on this trip. No one could keep neither her nor her siblings safe now. Not even if they had wanted to. Personally, Jack didn't care about her safety, but he did care about her fancy for Will. He saw trouble coming. The girl _was_ trouble, though he had never thought he'd think so about a girl. Usually, he could twist any girl round his little finger, but not this one. She was weird! Really unusual. And now he thought about telling her about Miss Swann, Will Turner's fiancée. Not out of kindness, of course, but because he didn't want any more trouble. The sooner the girl's heart was broken the less would she weep, he was sure, and he hated weeping women. Yes, he would tell her. And if she thought he was just being kind to her, it would be her own problem. He would definitely only be doing it for selfish reasons. He didn't want trouble with people in love aboard his ship. They could save it for their balls and fancy dinners at home. He just didn't want to get mixed up in it.

Julia walked around the ship not knowing what to do. Matthew was still not up, Mary had gone back to their cabin to get some rest, Will Turner had disappeared and even Jack Sparrow had gone. The latter, she believed, was having his lunch in the galley. She didn't dare disturb him when he was eating, but she really had no reason to do so, either. She just felt restless, as she knew they would reach Nosy Nick soon, and no one else but she showed the slightest sign of nervousness.

There was no chance she would approach any of the other pirates, so she walked around a little more. The woman, Ana Maria, may have been a nice person, but a female pirate? Julia wasn't sure she wanted to know if Ana Maria was nice or not. Associating with one pirate was more than enough, even though he may have proved to be less evil than she had first thought. He was still disagreeable, and she wasn't used to being around people such as him. His whole appearance was so unlike what she was used to. His clothes and his boots were different. His hair was long and braided, and he had beads and trinkets in it. On his head he wore a scarlet scarf underneath his tri-cornered hat, and his eyes…Julia sighed…his eyes were brimmed with kohl, which made them look…

"Lost in thoughts, are ye?" Jack's voice made Julia turn around with a start. She hadn't heard him coming, and she blushed shoving aside the thoughts she had been lost in.

"Mr. Sparrow! You really scared me!" She said and looked away.

"I thought you'd know by now that I'm not so dangerous!" He said and gave a smile that revealed a couple of golden teeth. Julia couldn't help thinking that at least he didn't have decayed teeth. Though the gold made him look rather ugly, it was still better than the alternative. "Oh, and it's…"

"…_Captain_! I know." Julia said and looked away again.

"You know, I'm really not the one you should fear on board me ship." He continued.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked in wonder. Was he warning her against someone?

"I just think… Ehm… Just be careful around Will Turner, savvy?" Jack said and regretted that he had decided to tell her about Will's girl. It was none of his business, and he'd better just leave it.

"Why, Mr. Sparrow? I don't see anything dangerous about him." Julia said with a smile showing wonder and incomprehension.

"He could be dangerous for young girls' hearts!" Jack said and tried to leave.

"Mr. Sparrow, you really don't think I've fallen for Mr. Turner, do you?" Julia asked pretending to be amused.

"Captain! _Captain_ Sparrow! And if you haven't fallen for him, then I'm sure you don't care about the fact that Will's engaged to Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter!"

Smack! Julia felt a slap very much alike the one she had felt in her dream, when Jack Sparrow had knocked her unconscious and kidnapped Harriet. She did feel unconscious for a few seconds, but she was still standing when she came back to the present again.

"Of course I care." She said looking right through Jack. "I'm very happy for him!"

But she wasn't. She was devastated. She hadn't expected Will Turner to be attached to anyone, and she hated Jack Sparrow for being the one to break the news to her. Especially as she hadn't known that the captain knew about her fancy for Will. She was embarrassed to find out that he did.

Why did he always know everything? She hated him for doing so. And he was always right, too. It was so damned annoying! She even forgot to scold herself for swearing inside, because she was so lost in her thoughts.

And Will Turner…What kind of man was he? He hadn't said anything about Miss Swann, and Julia had believed him to return her own feelings. Though, now, she realized that he had done nothing to make her think so. It was just her own stupidity that had broken her heart, and Captain Sparrow knew about it. He'd think that she was just a stupid, romantic, little girl with no sense at all. It was so humiliating, and she could do nothing to make it all less humiliating. She'd just have to hope that the pirate was decent enough not to tell anyone, though she doubted it. He'd probably tell everyone and make a fool out of her just to have a little fun. She already hated him for that, too.

But if Will Turner was engaged to Miss Swann, then she hadn't been killed after all! And Jack Sparrow hadn't taken her away from Commodore Norrington, had he? Will Turner had! He had just failed to mention it when he had told her that the commodore had lied to her. The commodore hadn't lied. Will Turner hadn't either. He just hadn't told the whole truth. As Julia finally began to make the pieces fit, her fondness for Will Turner also ceased a bit. He wasn't as agreeable as she had first thought. In fact, he was quite the opposite. Okay, so he hadn't lied. She had just concluded things that weren't right. But he hadn't put her right, either. He had let her believe things that weren't true, and it kind of made her slight him a bit. He was still nice in his behavior towards her, though, and so this whole affair still hurt!

In the afternoon everyone aboard the Pearl knew that they must be closing in on Nosy Nick. Jack had gathered his crew along with the guests in the galley to talk about the upcoming raid of the enemy ship. Only a few people were on deck to make sure the Pearl kept her speed and to watch out for the ship they were all expecting to see soon.

"We're lucky, 'cause there's a heavy fog today." Jack said and looked around at the people listening to him. Everyone was silent. They waited for him to go on. "It'll be a lot easier to get close to Nosy Nick without being noticed. Duncan, you'll be in the lookout mast with Kelly. Your eyes are younger than the rest of our eyes, and you should be able to spot his ship before his crew notices the Pearl." Jack shot a quick glance at Julia. Good. She didn't complain about her brother being appointed to the lookout mast.

"When you see the ship you blow out the candle in your lanterns. No need for shouting to the ones below you. We'll keep an eye on your lantern, and we'll blow out the ones on deck as well, so Nosy Nick won't see us coming. That way we'll be able to get so close to him that we can smell the filthy dog before he notices us!"

"But Capt'n, why don't we just take him down with our cannons?" Gibbs, one of the older men in the crew suggested. "He'll be sunk before he knows who did it to him!"

"No!" Julia exclaimed with eyes wide from fear.

For once Jack agreed with her.

"No Cannons!" He barked and noticed Julia's heavy breathing turn slower on the other side of the table. "Nothing's to be done that can harm the kids. Once the kids are safe you can do whatever you want to the bastard, but until then you do as I say. No cannons. No shouting. Not lights. No nothing that can tell him we're coming, savvy?!"

"Aye." Most of the crew members mumbled, and Jack continued.

"Ana Maria, you stay aboard the Pearl making sure she's always _behind_ Nosy Nick's leaky barrel of a dinghy! Miss Kelly and Miss Price stay with you, and Matthew's probably too slow to get down from the lookout mast to follow the rest of us with that grand hangover of his, so he'll stay here too." Jack chuckled a bit at his own remark and his crew laughed with him. When Matthew was about to complain, Jack continued. "And besides, we'll still need someone to keep a watch. Your eyes are still younger than mine, mate!"

Matthew was satisfied and didn't say anything further. Julia obviously wasn't, but to Jack's great relief she didn't say anything yet. He really could do without arguing with her while his crew was listening.

"Duncan, Marque, and Foster will stay here as well. The rest come with me to Nosy Nick's boat. We won't board the ship until it gets dark, though I have a feeling we're very close to her already. Until then we'll just stay far enough away not to be noticed, but close enough to always know exactly where she is. We can't stay so close that we can see her all the time, but we can tell from the water where she is and how close we are. That'll have to do until it's dark enough to move closer. Savvy?"

"Aye." Jack's crew said and he looked round at them. They looked more than ready to get into a fight, and he felt the same way. It had been too long since the last time they had had a little action, and though this wasn't the kind of action he had been planning on, it was probably for a better cause. He did not regret that he had promised the girl to help get her sister and brother back. It turned out to be a very joyous trip after all.

"Captain!" A voice shouted from above and made everyone turn to stare at the interrupter. It was Jones, one of the lookouts. "We just came upon a big vessel of the Royal Navy. It'll sink within an hour or so. No survivors. Do you want to search it?"

"No." Jack said with a small smile playing on his face. So Nosy Nick had already been there, just as he had thought he would be. "No need to search it. Nosy Nick's already taken what should be mine. I'll take it back along with the kids tonight!"

And with that he left the galley to go up on deck followed by most of the men (and the three females) who had been listening to him. There was nothing else to do now but wait for the dark to fall upon the Caribbean. First then could the fun begin!

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A/N: More action coming upon us in a very short moment. I promise. And it's a promise that I intend to keep, though I don't always keep promises. It's the influence of dishonest pirates on me. Blame Jack, not me!

Anyway, keep those reviews coming! I love them!


	9. Nosy Nick

A/N: In a hurry here, so moving on to the disclaimer: I don't own PotC. Disney does. I don't own any of the characters from it either. Disney does. I own all the rest of the characters so far.

Read and review, please!

Miss Sofie

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**Chapter Nine – Nosy Nick**

Everyone waited impatiently for the ambush to begin. The dark had not come yet, though the fog made it all rather dim. It was hot; so hot that Jack had a hard time keeping his head cool. Literally. And the moist air only made the breathing more difficult. Sometimes it felt like breathing fire, because the air that he inhaled was so hot. It made him think of rum – the drink that made his throat burn so pleasantly. But he could not drink now. No matter how used he was to alcohol he could not let the liquid slur his senses. Tomorrow, perhaps, but not now.

He didn't noticed Julia approaching him before she spoke, as his eyes were set on the horizon.

"Mr. Sparrow, where is _my_ cutlass?" She asked and made Jack turn towards her promptly.

"Your cutlass?" He asked with a frown. What would she need that for? She had agreed to stay on the Pearl!

"Just in case Nosy Nick and his crew should get aboard your ship." She said and looked at her feet. Then she cast a quick glance at Jack before she turned her face away again.

"You're not thinking about disobeying me, are you?" Jack asked with a firm voice. He was not mad yet, but he wasn't too pleased with her question either.

"Ehm…no. Of course not." Julia said still looking away.

"Julia…?" Jack asked and looked at her so long that in the end she couldn't avoid his eyes anymore.

"Alright, then! I want to come! I want to be there for my siblings! Why can't I come?"

"I'm not taking any women with me!" Jack said sternly and hoped it would be reason enough. He should've known it wouldn't be, though.

"Why not? Don't tell me that you're afraid you'll loose me, because I know you'd be more than happy to get rid of me!"

"Yes, in fact I would be, Miss Kelly, but I don't need you to mess it all up over there on Nosy Nick's boat, which you would be very likely to do!"

"Wh…?" Was all Julia said. She was too shocked of his way of speaking to her that she could say no more.

"You'll be staying here with Ana Maria!" Jack ended the discussion. "And that's final!"

He silently swore to himself as he had a feeling she'd follow anyway. Obstinate females was the worst thing he knew, right after for weeping females, of course.

But Julia didn't intend to follow. The captain's remark had offended her so much that she had no intentions of ever speaking to him again. She thought so much of this that she didn't even notice the nightfall. Neither did she notice the Pearl speeding up. She just sat by the rail feeling very sulky.

"They've blown out the candle in the lookout mast!" Someone whispered, and immediately the lanterns on deck were blown out as well. People rarely spoke, and when they did, it was in a whisper.

"Ready the boats!" Jack whispered loudly, and two small boats were made ready to bring his crew to Nosy Nick's ship.

Julia looked to see the ship from the front end of the Pearl, but it took another couple of minutes until they were close enough for her to see it through the fog. Actually, she could only see the lights, but the ship looked somewhat smaller than the Pearl. As they came even closer the ship throne before them dark and ghostly, and it reminded Julia of the time she had seen the Black Pearl in Tortuga. Except Nosy Nick's ship was smaller.

"Ana Maria! The rudder!" Jack whispered and made the woman take over the command of the Pearl while he left for the boats with most of his men.

When they had been lowered to the water Julia felt the ship turning beneath her.  
"Why are we turning?" She whispered close to Ana Maria.

"Do you want to sail straight into Nosy Nick's ship?" The momentary captain asked in reply. "There's no need for him to notice us. If he thinks it's only the small boats he'll be more put out."

"Oh." Was all Julia said. Of course. Why hadn't she thought of that? She was glad she had asked Ana Maria – not Jack. He would've laughed at her. At least the female pirate only sounded a little annoyed. She said no further.

Jack was the first one to crawl aboard the enemy ship. Everything was going fine so far. No one had noticed them coming. As he ran silently over the deck followed by his crew, an ugly-looking fellow heard them and was about to shout in alarm. Jack, however, stuck his cutlass deep into his chest, and the only sound that came from the pirate was a rattle as he fell to the ground. Dead.

"Poor guy. He probably didn't even like Nosy Nick!" Jack said indifferently to Gibbs, who was right behind him. The latter laughed and made the rest of the pirates on deck turn around and see them.

"Now look what ye've done!" Jack complained with joy in his voice. Finally! A little fighting was coming his way!

The pirates shouted and stormed towards Jack, but the latter was prepared. He swung his cutlass once, twice, three times and hit four men. One of them fell to the ground, but he was not dead. The wound Jack had given him in the side was sure to kill him, and to end his pains quicker Jack thrust his cutlass through him one last time.

"Sorry, mate!" He mumbled and went on.

"Jack!" Someone shouted and made Jack turn around faster than a swirling cannonball. It was just in time, as the pirate behind him had already lifted his sword and was ready to strike.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jack asked with a frown and heaved his own sword. The enemy pirate's blade hit Jack's with a terrible sound of metal upon metal. Jack was the fastest of the two and before the other pirate had reached to swing his sword again, Jack's cutlass had pierced right through him.

"That'll teach you to cross blades with Captain Jack Sparrow!" He said and withdrew his now bloody blade. The enemy did, of course, not reply.

His men were fighting bravely, and the fight was unequal. Nosy Nick hadn't been able to gather many men, who were willing to follow him, it seemed.

The captain himself, though, there had been no sign of yet, and neither had there of the kids.

Jack ran unhindered below deck to find the captain's cabin. He knew the bloody pirate well enough to know that he'd always hide cowardly when there was a fight. And in this case he'd probably be hiding behind the kids as well!

"Stop right there!" The familiar voice of the nosy pirate met Jack in the doorway of what had to be his lousy captain's cabin.

Nosy Nick was, just as Jack had foreseen, holding the kids up in front of him.

"As you please!" Jack said with an artificial smile and stopped. He took a quick look around the cabin after making sure the kids were unharmed. So far they looked well, though rather pale and frightened, and so did the small piece of cloth on the chest next to Jack. A piece of cloth which Jack was sure contained something he wanted badly. Something he felt belonged to him already.

"Not quite as cocky as the last time we met, are ye, Sparrow?!" Nosy Nick spat and made the kids tremble with fear.

"But _you_ are certainly better dressed!" Jack replied mockingly.

"STEP BACK!" Nosy Nick yelled and took a firmer grip of the girl. "Or I'll kill the girl!" He drew a gun and pointed it at her head.

Tears ran down the little girl's cheeks, and the boy looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Now that is a language I understand." Jack mumbled and took a few steps backwards. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to back off. I want you to go away. I want to humiliate you and never see you again!" Nosy Nick spat as he made the kids follow Jack, still with a gun to Harriet's head.

"That can be arranged." Jack said and kept walking backwards until his feet hit the lowest step of the staircase.

"And I want you to suffer! I want you to grieve over your kids. Such sweet little kids! What would their pirate scum of a father think if they were fed to the sharks?!"

"Ah, but you're forgetting something, Nick." Jack said trying to sound as confident as he could. "The kids are not mine. Why would I care?"

"Not yours…?" Nosy Nick said and was clearly puzzled for a while. "Well, then I suppose you don't care at all if I kill them, so I think that's just what I'm gonna do! Get up!" He yelled and pointed the gun at Jack to make him climb the stairs.

"By all means, do as you please!" Jack said trying to sound indifferent while climbing up. He wasn't, of course. He was about as afraid as he had ever been before, but he did his best not to let it show. He did not want Nosy Nick to know that he cared about the kids. That would be disastrous.

On deck Jack's crew had almost killed all the enemy pirates. A few were still begging for mercy, but they were so badly hurt that they definitely would've died anyway, and so one look from Jack made his men relieve them from further pain. He was not a cold-blooded murderer, but he cared more for the kids than for his enemies, and so he had no trouble killing them. Had they surrendered, he would've spared them, of course, but they hadn't, and so they had to suffer the pitiful fate of so many before them.

"Jack Sparrow!" Nosy Nick's voice brought him back from the momentary sad thoughts of his. He obviously still wasn't aware of the fact that he was alone now. Or almost alone. A couple of brave pirates still fought for him, but it was only a matter of time now. "I'll give you back the girl, if only you'll come and get her yourself!" He laughed and revealed the few teeth he had left. Decayed, of course.

"I can do that." Jack said and put a hand to his waist. Nosy Nick did not know that Jack always carried a gun in his waistband now. He hadn't done ten years ago, back when he had been his captain.

"Goodbye, little girl!" The evil pirate laughed and pretended that he wanted to push her towards Jack. Instead he gripped her around the waist, lifted her up, and threw her overboard.

"Captain Sparrooow!" She screamed right before leaving Nosy Nick's hands, and Jack, who was moved by her finally speaking in his presence and by the fact that she had screamed his name, pulled out his gun and aimed at Nosy Nick…

Julia heard the shouts and the noises of the fighting on the other ship very clearly through the fog. They had sailed closer again so that they would be ready to take Jack and his men aboard again as soon as they left Nosy Nick's ship.

As Julia heard her sister's screaming and the splash in the water, she ran to the rail. She couldn't see anything at first, then she heard the sound of a gun being let off. She stiffened, but then she saw something in the water. It was her sister struggling to stay over the surface, but as the little girl had never learned how to swim, she had no chance of doing so.

Without taking the time to think it through Julia jumped head first into the water. She, too, had never learned to swim, but she'd just have to learn, then.

"Julia!" She heard her sister's voice between all the water she swallowed. But Julia was unable to hold Harriet up, as she herself was dragged down by her big skirts. She fought to get up, but she just sank deeper and deeper into the ocean. At last everything was black around her, and she wondered if she was dead or alive. Then she remembered nothing more.

"Am I dead?" Julia asked and heard someone laugh. Another one said "She's waking up!"

She opened her eyes and looked right into Matthew's. He was smiling at her fondly, and in spite of her wet clothes she felt the warmth spread through her body. She looked behind him and saw Jack looking down at her too.

"Are you alright?" A thin voice asked beside her. She looked at Daniel, who had a smile on his face though he also looked a bit scared.

"Where am I?" She asked taking a look around.

"On the Pearl, of course!" Jack's self-satisfied voice answered. "Where else would you be?"

"Where's Harriet?"

"She's…" Matthew began but Julia noticed him looking away.

"Where is she?!" She demanded trying to get up. "Is she…? Oh no, don't tell me she's…"

"She's not dead! She's in your cabin, Miss Kelly." Jack said and made Julia breathe easy again. "But I'm afraid she's unconscious. Your maid is with her."

"I want to see her." Julia said and got up with a little help from Matthew. She noticed her clothes and hair were still wet, but not as much as if they had just gotten her out of the water. But it was still dark around them.

"How long has it been since…?"

"About half an hour, I'd say." Matthew said and supported her to the cabin that she and Mary had been given.

The little girl lay silent, her face sickly pale and a little swollen.

"Oh dear!" Julia exclaimed at the sight. "She looks…dead!"  
"She's not!" Mary assured her and handed Matthew a blanket. "She's just sleeping."

"Has she been awake yet?" Matthew asked putting the blanket around his older sister.

"No." Mary said and looked away with tears in her eyes. Then she looked back at Julia. "But I'm glad to see you back on your feet, Miss Kelly!"

"Mary, please call me Julia." The latter said tiredly. "You're my friend in this. Not my servant."

"Okay, Julia." Mary said with a vague smile. "Why don't you lie down for a while. I'll get you some tea, if you'd like."

"I'll do that." Matthew said and left the girls alone.

Julia took off her wet clothes and put on some shirt or another that Ana Maria had brought them yesterday. Then she dug under the blankets and asked Mary who had rescued her.

"The Captain did." Mary said to Julia's big surprise. She had though he wanted to get rid of her. Then why had he saved her? "When Julia had been thrown overboard he jumped after her. But that was after he had shot Nosy Nick. That guy, Duncan, I think, was watching from the lookout mast, and as he saw her in the water he jumped. It was quite a few metres, I'd say, but there you were, two people trying to save Harriet, only you did not succeed so well. Duncan got a hold of her and held her above the surface until she was taken up into one of the small boats. Jack, who had jumped into the water right after the two of you, dived and brought you back up with him, though your skirts almost dragged him down too, I think. He was spluttering and swearing when he reached the surface again, but I don't think he wanted to get rid of you. I daresay he didn't only save you for Harriet and Daniel's sake!"

"What do you mean?" Julia asked puzzled.

"Oh, nothing." Mary said and stroke Harriet's hair.

"But it was nice of him to do so, I reckon." Julia said lost in her thoughts. "I'll have to remember to thank him tomorrow."

"Yes, but try to get some rest now. I'll wake you if Harriet wakes up."

"And if she gets worse?"

"I'll wake you up as well and call for Matthew."

"Thanks." Julia replied. It didn't take her many minutes to drift off to sleep.

"Captain Sparrow!" Julia said as she got up on deck the next morning. He was standing by the rudder, and Ana Maria was nowhere to be seen. In fact, Julia thought, there were much less of the pirates than usually. Had Jack really lost so many men to Nosy Nick? And this because of her sister and brother? He really deserved to be thanked!

"Ah, good morning, Miss Kelly!" Jack replied cheerfully. "How's your sister?"

"I'm afraid she's still unconscious." Julia replied, but she felt a little uplifted by the happiness of the pirate's voice.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jack said sounding sincere. "I would like to hear her speak again!"

"I owe you a thank you." Julia continued. "I cannot tell you how grateful I am for all your help, and I'm sorry if I've been annoying once in a while. I was just worried."

"Apology accepted!" Jack said and felt good. It was so nice to hear the girl finally come to her senses. It had taken her long to find out that he was not the enemy.

"You seem in quite a good mood today, Captain?" Julia enquired making sure she remembered his title.

"It's a fine day today, Miss Kelly. Haven't you noticed?"

But Jack was thinking of more than just the weather. He had not only gotten the kids safely away from his enemy. He had also gotten the small – but very valuable – gem that had been meant for a piece of jewellery to the English princess. It was worth enough to feed him and his crew for the rest of their lives, and they could live extraordinarily well. He could even have all the rum in the world and all the women he wanted. Gold would be no problem now.

To his big surprise Julia did not scorn him when he finally told her. He did, of course, leave out the part with the rum and the women!

"You know, Jack, I'm not sure it's so bad after all." She said and made him frown with surprise. "I mean, at least you won't have to plunder vessels and kill more people now. In a way I think it's good that you've got the gem. The princess has no need for it. She'll get another one, and many lives will be spared."

Jack looked at her wonderingly for a while. Had she just used his first name? And was she saying that stealing the gem was alright? Nothing would ever surprise him anymore!

"You seem to think that I always go around killing people." Jack said instead of telling her of his surprise. "I don't. I'm a decent man!"

"I'm beginning to understand that." Julia muttered and looked away. "Thank you for saving my siblings!"

She turned to leave, but then something caught her attention. Jack saw it too. It was Nosy Nick's ship. Afloat and following.

"He's following us! Jack, Nosy Nick is right behind us!" She exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Julia, love, I'm not stupid!" Jack said with an amused smile. "I've got two ships now! The making of my very own fleet!"

---

A/N: Hope you liked it. It's about as much action as I'm gonna write. The story's not finished yet, though.


	10. Too Much Rum, Too Little Company

A/N: Okay, here we are with the tenth chapter. For the first time, I think, I've actually made it through to chapter eleven without the fic being finished yet! We're not close to the end yet, though closer than at the beginning (Sorry. 'ave read too much hobbit-riddle-langue lately!). I must warn you about this chapter, though. There's not much action in it, but there is a lot of thinking being done. I mean, feelings are expressed and stuff. Basically just Mary Sue stuff. Just so you know.

Oh, and just one more thing. I know they probably never would've said "drink our brains out" at the time of this story, but I couldn't help it. I added it anyway.

Dawnie-7 and Bonnie Pirate Lass, thank you for reviewing everything that I post. Love you guys!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or any of the characters in it. Walt Disney Pictures does. I do own the Kelly family, Mary, Duncan, the Devil's Dispute, Dirty Rackham's Place, and everyone and everything else that is in this story but not in the movie.

Read and review!

Miss Sofie.

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**Chapter Ten – Too Much Rum, Too Little Company**

That night they anchored the Pearl and the ship that had been Nosy Nick's right outside the port of a small town well-known among pirates. It was not Tortuga, but it was not bad. _The Devil's Dispute_, as Nosy Nick had named the ship, needed a fill of the hold and Jack, who hadn't tasted rum since Port Rewland, needed a night with plenty of his favorite liquid, and – if everything turned out right – he would have plenty of women as well.

He was in quite a good mood as they reached the town, and so he thought he'd bring his new friends to_ Dirty Rackham's_ place, a tavern that he had been to quite a few times before.

As he entered the galley he found Will and Matthew already enjoying them selves with plenty of rum. Matthew, however, was not at all as drunk as he had been two nights ago. The hangover had probably just worn off today anyway, Jack thought and chuckled to himself. He hadn't had a two days' hangover since he was 16, and he was not likely to ever have one again. He was too hardened for that nowadays.

"Are you coming to join us, Captain?" Matthew asked as he noticed Jack's presence.

"I'm coming to make you join me." Jack replied and took the bottle of rum that Will handed him. He took a big gulp of the strong alcohol before he continued. "We're going ashore. Tonight we'll drink our brains out and celebrate I have a new ship!"

Jack didn't tell them that he was more happy about the kids being safe than about getting a new ship. They'd just think the two young ones had made an impact on him. And of course they hadn't!

"We'll be right with you." Will said and tried to get up. He had obviously had too much rum already, and Jack grabbed his arm to help him stand upright.

"We'll see!" Jack said with a grin and left the galley. He wasn't sure whether they would make it up on deck or not. Right now their chances seemed rather slim.

---

"Come in!" Julia said as she heard the knock on the cabin door. She and Mary were talking, trying to take their thoughts off of Harriet not being well. Daniel was there too, but he was asleep.

"How is she?" Jack asked as he entered the cabin. "Any progress yet?"

"She looks a little less pale, but she hasn't been awake yet." Mary replied, but Jack wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Julia, who didn't understand why.

"I…ehm…I hope she'll get better soon." He said and cast a glance at Mary. "But right now it's time to go ashore."

"I feared that." Julia said and looked away. It was time to say goodbye, she knew that. Jack had promised to get her siblings back and then leave them at the nearest port.

"Feared? Why is that?" Jack asked with a puzzled frown.

"How are we supposed to travel with an unconscious girl? What if something happens and we're all alone with a long way to the next town?" Julia asked quietly.

"What do ye mean?" Jack asked still not getting it. "Why would you have to travel alone with her?"

"But you said you'd drop us off at the nearest port. Isn't that what you're intending to do?"

"Ah, now I know what you're talking about." Jack finally comprehended. "Well, that was then, and I had some plans of me own, but as there's no pressing matter at the moment, I think I'll take you back to Port Rewland. There's no need to move the girl as long as she's unconscious."

It was a load of Julia's mind to hear this, and she didn't care if the relief showed on her face. Captain Sparrow really _did_ prove a more decent man than she had thought possible in the beginning.

"But what will we be doing in town, then?" Julia asked wanting to get home as fast as possible.

"We need to fill the hold of the Dispute. Ana Maria and her crew…" Jack thought about the sound of it for a while. It sounded good, as they were still under his command! "…need something to live on as well as we do."

"But what has that got to do with us?" Julia asked. This time she was the one not getting it. Mary didn't say a word. She rarely did when Jack was around.

"You'll be coming with me. Your brother and Will are coming too. I'll show my guests one of my favorite taverns. It's the…"

"Are you serious?" Julia exclaimed in disbelief. "Do you really mean to go drinking rum all night while my sister's unconscious and…"

"Don't you think it's time for _me_ to have my way?" Jack asked only restraining from raising his voice to avoid waking up Daniel. "I am, after all, the captain of this ship. Don't you forget, Miss Kelly!" He warned pointing his index finger at the girl.

"But what happened to your wish about getting rid of me?" She asked next. She really couldn't follow his thoughts right now.

Jack looked to the ceiling and hesitated. He _had_ wanted to get rid of her at the very moment he had said it, but no more than everybody else wanted to be freed from annoying people once in a while.

"That was yesterday." Jack finally replied locking Julia's eyes.

"And today? You can't stand the thought of leaving me behind?" The girl asked sarcastically, well-knowing that the pirate was close to boiling. She wasn't afraid of him anymore. He really wasn't that tough.

Jack breathed in deeply trying to cool down before he replied. "I just thought there was still hope for you." He said. "But now I see I was wrong!"

He turned around to leave in an angry manner just as Will and Matthew entered the cabin.

"She's _your_ sister!" He mumbled to Matthew as he passed him in the doorway. "You try to bring her to her senses!"

"Why do you listen to her?" Matthew said after Jack as he left. "Why don't you just ignore her?"

Yeah, why didn't he?!

---

Matthew was quite a lot better at persuading his sister than Jack had been. He told Julia that there was nothing she could do as long as Harriet was unconscious anyway. Besides, both she and Mary needed to think of something else for a while. When Mary said that someone had to stay with the kids, and she didn't feel like going, Matthew told her that he felt like spending some time alone with Daniel anyway. Julia was quite sure he only said so to make her and Mary go with Will and Jack, but in the end he had persuaded them both, though Julia still wasn't sure what to think of it. And she had been able to almost avoid Will since Jack had told her about his attachment to Miss Swann, but she probably wouldn't be able to anymore, if they went to that tavern with him. It would be so awkward!

But they _did_ go. Julia, Mary, Jack, Will, and most of Jack's crew. And Ana Maria's as well.

Jack noticed the two girls (counting Ana Maria as a man, as so many times before) walking very closely holding on to each other when entering the town. They were scared, and he found this very amusing. He hadn't noticed them being like this in Tortuga, but back then they had, of course, worried about the kids and not had time to worry about them selves.

Jack was still mad at Julia, but the more she amused him by looking scared, the more did he soften towards her. Oh, and Mary, of course, but he had never been mad at _her_ so that was different.

Will tried to talk to the girls, but only Mary replied. It was the first time Jack had seen Will and Julia together since he had told Julia about Will's engagement (except for when they talked strategies, but Jack had been the only one to talk then). He hoped she wouldn't make a scene or something, though, when thinking about it, it would only cause more amusement. But right now she seemed too scared to make any sort of scene anyway.

Jack lead them into Dirty Rackham's place, which was actually not as dirty as it sounded, as it was owned by a girl, who used to be a pirate. How anyone who had been a pirate could ever give it up and take a job instead, or, like this girl, get her own place and hand rum onto the tables twenty-four-seven he did not understand. He would definitely not give up his profession for the world, not even now when he could afford not to do anything for the rest of his life. He would keep sailing till the day that he died!

"How d'ye like it?" Jack asked when they had settled by a table. Will and Duncan were sitting closest to the small windows on either side of the table. Jack was sitting next to Will with Julia in front of him, and at the end of the table he had placed a chair for Mary, who had been too diffident to take one from one of the other tables herself.

Mary had definitely never been to a place like this before, and neither had Julia, but the latter seemed to relax a bit more. She had definitely improved since Tortuga, though Jack was still not too satisfied with her. She was still too stuck-up!

As time went on and plenty of rum was consumed, everyone began talking a little louder and, in some cases, dirtier. Julia and Mary, of course, both had only one glass of rum before they refused to drink anything further. Jack rolled his eyes at them but otherwise didn't care. He was definitely not gonna sit languishing for rum, when there was plenty of it all around him.

He soon began to feel warm and comfortable as the alcohol overtook his mind and body. He had tried this so many times before that he knew that at a certain point he would start looking for female company for the night. That certain point had come without him noticing, and for a while he scanned the room for good-looking wenches.

Will said something that he didn't hear, which made Julia laugh. Jack looked at the girl, but to his big surprise she wasn't giggling flirtatiously at Will's remark. She was just having a good time, and she didn't even look at Will as if she was very fond of him. That was the first time, Jack believed, that he hadn't been able to trace that look on her face with Will around. There wasn't the slightest glimmer of Will Turner fondness in her eyes now… Her eyes… They seemed big and blank to Jack. Had she been drinking without him seeing it? She definitely hadn't had so pretty eyes when they had first entered the tavern.

He frowned at his own thoughts and got up to get a new bottle of rum. He had definitely had so much to drink that it was time to find some wench or another. While he waited for the rum, he looked around in search of someone again, but his eyes stopped at the very table he had been sitting at. The young ones were all enjoying them selves very much. What part of the conversation had he missed? They were laughing and smiling, and Julia's cheeks had turned a soft pink. It only made her look better.

Better than what? Jack thought trying to shake the thought off of him. Better than when he had first seen her. Actually, he thought walking back to the table, she _was_ rather pretty. If only her looks hadn't had to suffer under being attached to a mind so stuck-up, he would've thought her almost beautiful.

She give a quick look at him when he sat down, and to Jack's big regret he wasn't able to return the look without a flicker of his eyes.

He poured himself another glass of rum and emptied it at once. His mind was far away from the conversation around the table, and he didn't notice that Duncan spoke to him.

"Jack, are you still here?" The young man said after a few attempts to get the bottle of rum from the captain.

"Yeah. Sure." Jack said and held on to the bottle.

"Well…? Can I have some more rum?"

Jack didn't react at once as he was trying to break the spell that had come over him when everyone, including Julia, had laid their eyes on him.

"_Captain_ Sparrow think you've had enough already." Julia teased still looking at Jack. "Or maybe he just doesn't want to share."

"Oh, he _does_ want to share." Jack said now holding Julia's gaze instead of being held by it. "But he's afraid you can't take another glass, Miss Kelly!"

"Oh, so you think that_ one_ glass will get me drunk?"

"Well, now that you put it that way…!"

"Pour me another glass!" Julia demanded with a twinkle in her eye and handed Jack her glass. Jack grasped the glass with his somewhat big and rough hand, not quite able to control his moves anymore, and accidentally laid it on Julia's hand before she let go of the glass.

She withdrew her hand immediately and when Jack looked up at her she was looking out the window, though nothing could be seen in the dark.

Jack poured her the rum wondering what had just happened there. Then he poured himself another glass before passing the bottle on to Duncan.

"Finally!" The young man said and continued listening to Will, obviously not noticing anything queer.

Jack knew it was probably just him being drunk, so he looked back at Julia. She, however, did not seem to be enjoying herself as much as just one minute ago.

---

Julia drank her second glass of rum though she didn't like it at all. She was confused. She needed to clear her mind. She knew very well that alcohol didn't clear the mind, but maybe just one glass would make her relax and see things differently. It didn't help, though. She was still confused after her second glass. Perhaps even more than before.

Jack had touched her hand when she had handed him her glass. She knew it hadn't been on purpose, and there was nothing odd about him doing so. What confused her was her own reaction to the touch. She felt warm and disgusted at the same time. She wasn't sure which of the two feelings was caused by the feeling of Jack's hand on hers, but she knew they had both arisen at that time. But of course she would feel warm because of the amount (though small) of rum she had already consumed, and a touch of a warm hand of course made that feeling stronger. So disgust had to be what she felt about it, she stated, and after a while she started listening to the conversations again.

Will and Duncan seemed to have become quite good friends. Duncan was a nice guy and Will wasn't as bad as Julia had thought right after Jack had told her about the young man's engagement to Miss Swann. She noticed now that Will never let her believe that he felt anything for her, and he probably never had let her believe so. Whatever could be said about the pirate captain, she appreciated very much that he had told her about Will and Miss Swann. The pirate captain… Julia looked at Jack, who was trying to get Mary to talk to him. He sent her a quick look and a smile, but then he concentrated on Mary again. Was he trying to flirt with her? Julia couldn't help but laugh inside as she knew Mary would never flirt back with a pirate. Least of all this one.

However, Jack kept trying to flirt with her. It even seemed as if he made a pass at her, and after a while it began to disgust Julia. Just like his touch had done. It was so unappealing to her that she didn't like watching, especially when Jack, after a long while, finally got Mary to talk to him and even giggle once in a while.

That was when Julia announced that she'd be going back to the ship.

Mary, of course, came with her.

---

Jack left the tavern much later than the others. He had stayed to have some more rum, but in the end he had been thrown out, as they were closing. He was the last costumer, and he felt very alone. For the first time in years he'd be sleeping at the Pearl after a night in town with plenty of rum. It had never happened to him before, but he hadn't been able to find a woman that he wanted to spend the night with. Oh well, he had tried to flirt with Mary, but he hadn't been serious anyway. And just when his impact on women had finally began to show, Julia had told Mary to come with her. Okay, so maybe she hadn't told her to. She had wanted to come, but still. That stupid Kelly-girl seemed to spoil all the fun. She had even kept him from finding company for the night.

Jack reached the harbor and got into the small boat that he was supposed to row back to the Pearl. He just needed to sit still for a while before he started rowing. He hid his face in his hands and felt like the boat was capsizing. When he removed his hands he saw that it was floating calmly in the harbor, still tied to the jetty. He hadn't been this drunk in ages, and right now he just needed to lie down.

With his head under the plank that was meant for a seat he fell asleep in the bottom of the boat, not turning up on the Pearl until late in the morning on the following day.

* * *

A/N: Personally, I would have thrown meself at Jack before he got too drunk to find a girl, but, unfortunately, I'm not Julia. Stupid, stupid girl!

Review! _Please_ review?! (Trying to sound like Jack. Not succeeding!)


	11. Regrets

A/N: Yay, my first fic of more than ten chapters!!! It's a short chapter, I know, but I never really intended to let this small thing here have a chapter of its own. It was supposed to be the ending for chapter ten, but as that one was already longer than most of the chapters, I thought I'd put it into chapter eleven. Well, the planned chapter eleven then had to move to chapter twelve… Anyway, read and enjoy. And review, please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirat… Oh, gawd! I don't own anything. Final.

Miss Sofie.

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**Chapter Eleven - Regrets**

"Don't stop!" Julia said and breathed in deeply reaching for Jack's hand. The pirate placed his hand on Julia's again, and she felt the adrenaline rush through her body as his seductive eyes held her gaze. They were dark and soft and they were moving closer.

As Jack's lips brushed Julia's to finally settle on them, the girl withdrew her hand from his and raised it to slap him.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?" Jack asked with a bewildered frown as Julia's hand hit him.

"You shouldn't… We shouldn't… I shouldn't…" Julia replied not really knowing what she meant.

Then she woke up feeling stupid and slightly embarrassed, though no one knew about her dream but herself.

Why did I slap him? She thought and sat up in the plank bed. No, why did tell him not to stop? She corrected herself, still haunted by the picture of the pirate kissing her. She hadn't wanted to, of course, he had just done so without her permission. Not even in her wildest dreams would she want him to kiss her! Never! Not even if he promised her the world or the moon and the stars would she think about it. He was disgusting!

---

"Did you have fun last night, Captain Sparrow?" Julia's voice greeted Jack as he climbed aboard the Pearl late in the morning. The rays of the sun were already piercing his aching head. Did Julia really have to do it too?

"Aw, shut up, will ya?!" Jack said annoyed and let himself fall onto a barrel with fresh water that was lashed to a mast.

"Sorry." Julia mumbled and turned to walk away. "I was just trying to be friendly."

She left a very much hung over Jack feeling even worse. Her face was the last one he had needed to see and the first one he _had_ seen after returning from the worst night he had had for years.

On top of it all he also had to feel guilty now. He hadn't meant to snarl at Julia, but he had thought she was about to start scolding him and he really couldn't take that in his state. For once _he_ had been unfair to _her_, though it used to be the other way around.

"What a mess, Capt." Jack muttered to himself and got up from the barrel to go to his cabin, but he was stopped by Gibbs, who spoke way too loudly for Jack's like.

"Captain, are we gonna set sail today? Or do ye intend to stay another day?"

"Just…get goin'!" Jack said with a quick wave of his hand. Then he had to hold on to Gibbs.

"Are ye still drunk, Captain?" Gibbs asked with wide eyes. He hadn't seen his captain drunk in the morning before. At least not when he hadn't been drinking since the previous night.

"Just tell Ana Maria to head for Port Rewland, will ya? And I don't want to be disturbed, savvy?"

"But…"

"_Savvy?!_"

"But Ana Maria's on the Dispute, Capt'n!"

"Then put somebody else in my place! I don't care who! Just leave me!" Jack almost yelled at Gibbs, who backed a few steps. As he did so, Jack noticed most of his crew staring at him with amused smiles.

"What are ye looking at, you dirty rats?!" He yelled but regretted immediately, as his eyes wandered on to the young girl and boy and their little brother looking at him as well. Daniel looked frightened, and Julia very displeased. Matthew, however, whose hangover had finally worn off, was obviously finding Jack very entertaining.

"Oh, perfect!"(1) Jack muttered sarcastically before fighting his way down to his cabin. "Really brilliant!"(1)

---

"Do you think we'll ever meet Jack again?" Daniel asked his older siblings. The three of them were sitting in the crow's nest in the mast. Matthew had persuaded Julia to come with him and to let Daniel come along as well. The crew of the Pearl was still wondering how he had managed that.

"I hope not." Julia said looking to the horizon. It was late in the afternoon, and it had been quite a few hours since they had last spotted land.

"Yes, maybe we will." Matthew said ignoring his sister's remark. "Would you like that?"

"Yes, because he's my friend and he's a pirate!" Daniel said and looked down to the deck. "He's kind, isn't he?"

"I don't know about that." Julia muttered sourly. She had begun to almost like him yesterday, but then he had been so stupid at the tavern, trying to flirt with Mary and all. When he didn't get his way with Mary, he had just found some other girl to spend the night with and hadn't come back to the Pearl until late in the morning. What kind of brute did such things?

"You're just jealous." Matthew said not directed at Daniel.

"Jealous? At what?" Julia exclaimed glad that they were out of earshot of the crew. Her latest dream – no, nightmare – threatened to come back to her mind, though she had done everything that was in her power to keep it away all day.

"At Jack. Because he leads the life he does."

"You can't exactly call piracy 'leading a life'!"

"But admit it, Jule, you like sailing. You like the wonderful feeling of being free that you have felt since we left Papa and the commodore. And the feeling of doing things that you know you're not supposed to is kind of appealing to you!"

"We haven't exactly done anything disrespectable if that's what you mean!"

"One week ago you would have thought everything we've done since we met Jack 'disrespectable'!"

"Oh, please!" Julia laughed rolling her eyes. But she was not as sure as she tried to sound.

"Come on! Don't tell me that you'd rather spend the rest of your life in a town like Port Rewland, married to Walther Allenby, instead of sailing with a decent pirate such as Jack?!"

"Married to Walther Allenby? No. But spending my life in a town like Port Rewland? Why not? What is so wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I guess." Matthew sighed not knowing how to make his point clear. "But I'll sure miss sailing."

"Ah, sailing I would miss, too. At least as long as there is dandelion tea enough."

"But do you know what the worst thing about going back is?"

"No, what is it?"

"We kind of have an explanation issue!"

"Yeah. We do, don't we?"

"Yup."

"Papa is going to kill us!"

"Yup!"

Julia pondered over this most of the afternoon and evening. It seemed that she and Matthew were not the only ones who regretted that the trip was coming to an end. Will said he'd miss the action Jack had brought into his life again for a short moment (though he _did_ look forward to seeing his fiancée again(2)), Daniel simply wanted to "be a pirate" forever, and Mary dreaded the moment she had to face her employer again.

Jack wasn't too happy about it either, though he kept it to himself once he woke up with a ceasing hangover. He'd miss having kids aboard his ship, he finally admitted to himself, as he went to see Harriet. She was still unconscious, or at least asleep. Mary was there with her, and as Jack couldn't get a word out of her, he gave up and left.

Daniel had been quite fun to have around, and apart from this morning, when Jack had yelled at his crew, he hadn't looked frightened a single time since they had taken over the Dispute. The boy really seemed to enjoy life aboard a ship. He'd make a bloody good pirate some day!

Jack _really_ didn't feel like ascending to the deck yet, but he was the captain, and his crew would begin talking if he didn't show up soon. Besides, he was a man, a pirate, a _captain_! What could anyone possibly say to embarrass _him_? He was not one to throw off balance! Except by… _NO_! That was ridiculous!

Jack knocked back a glass of rum before finally going to face his crew and his guests again.

"Captain! Ship ahead!" Duncan's voice sounded from the lookout post just as Jack finally showed his face. It gave the latter no time to think further about what people thought of him.

"Looks like the one we left behind in Port Rewland. The one of the Royal Navy!"

Perfect! Just brilliant!(1) Jack thought for the second time that day. At least now he had his wits back!

The loud sound of a cannon being fired tore the air, and Jack saw Daniel hide in his sister's skirts, trembling with fear.

"Stop firing at our ship!" Julia shouted angrily, though the ship with her father and the commodore was way too far away for her crew to hear her.

Our ship?

"That would be _my_ ship, love!" Jack said pointing his index finger at himself. He couldn't help smiling, though. "And that was only a cannonball meant to warn us. If they had meant to strike, they had done so in their first attempt!"

"Oh." Julia said placing her arms around Daniel. "Would they have done so if we weren't aboard?"

"I suppose they would. The commodore and I aren't exactly the best of friends. So thanks for being here, love!" Jack replied, emphasizing the last sentence with a mock smile.

"You're despicable!" Julia exclaimed in a loud mumble, totally misunderstanding the pirate.

"_What_ did you just say?" Jack yelled stiffening all over. "Gibbs, cooperate with the commodore! _What_ did I just hear you say, Miss Kelly?!"

"That you're despicable!" Julia repeated defiantly.

Jack moved closer to her and took a firm grip of her wrist.

"I'm the captain here, and I _never_ want to hear that coming from you again, savvy?!"

"No!" Julia replied crossly. She too, moved closer to Jack, staring him in the eyes. None of them wanted to drop their eyes. They both wanted to win this.

"After everything I've done for you and your family, you still have the nerve to call me despicable?!" Jack spat. He was so close to Julia that the warmth of his breath hit her face.

The girl didn't reply. Suddenly she felt insecure. Her eyes flickered for a moment. Then she looked back into his dark eyes. They were not soft anymore. They were flaring with rage and something else that Julia couldn't quite read. Was it hurt?

"Forgive me!" She exclaimed almost in a whisper before she twisted her arm to get free from his grip. Tears were building up inside of her, and she knew that she'd have to leave – now – to avoid them from being seen. "I'll be looking after Harriet!"

She ran to the cabin and threw herself on the bed. She cried for the first time since her siblings got kidnapped. And she despised herself.

* * *

(1) All credit for this "sentence" goes to Kian Egan from Irish boy band Westlife!

(2) Sorry, Heav! Added that one for you. Couldn't help it! ;)

A/N: That's all there is from me today. Thanks for reviewing!


	12. Trying to Say I'm Sorry

A/N: Sorry for the late update. I've been quite busy lately, and I'm working on a couple of other stories as well. Julia gets a bit Elizabeth'ish in this chapter, but I promise you it's not much. Oh, and the Commodore's weird behavior probably won't be explained in this story, as I'm thinking about writing a story about him later with some of the characters from this story, Elizabeth Swann and a few OCs. Haven't quite decided yet, though.

Anyway, I'll leave you to read chapter twelve. Please review once you're done reading!

Disclaimer: Disney owns everything except the Kelly family, the Prices, and the Allenbys. Oh, and Duncan and Nosy Nick. And the barmaid in the town with no name.

- Miss Sofie

* * *

**Chapter Twelve – Trying to Say I'm Sorry**

There was not much Jack could do but watch as Commodore Norrington, a man who looked very much like the young ones aboard his ship, and several soldiers boarded the Pearl. There was not much he wanted to do either. He didn't really care. The commodore and the kids' father could take all of the Kellys back with them as far as he was concerned. He had done what had been asked of him, and, hopefully, he would now be left alone. No doubt it was the last time he'd ever help the aristocracy. What did anyone get in return anyway?

"Jack Sparrow! Well, well!" Commodore Norrington's snobbish voice greeted Jack as he approached him. "I think we can easily add 'kidnapper of children' to your records now, can't we?"

"Can we?" Jack asked sarcastically tipping his head. "Again, Norrie, I'm afraid you've been mistaken!" He mocked a smile before his face turned fierce.

"Is that so?" The commodore asked with a smirk. "Then how do you explain those boys' presence on your boat?" He pointed a finger at Matthew and Daniel, and his gun he pointed at Jack.

"Actually, _Commodore_, the boys are here because they want to be…"

"Shut up!" Commodore Norrington said annoyed by Jack's mocking pronunciation of his title. "Whatever you may say, this time you've gone too far!"

"But, Sir…" Matthew said stepping closer in spite of the warning look on his father's face. "Captain Sparrow has done nothing wrong, really. He helped us get my siblings back from Nosy Nick!"

"And who's…Nosy Nick?" The commodore asked looking away from Jack for a moment. He lowered his gun a bit, though not enough for Jack to escape.

"Nosy Nick is…was an evil pirate who took Daniel and Harriet away. Isn't that so, Daniel?"

The young boy nodded with a frightened look at the commodore.

"Sir Kelly?" Commodore Norrington asked with a look at the gentleman a little behind him.

"You can trust my boy's word." Sir Richard said though looking at Jack with a displeased look. "He wouldn't tell a lie."

"Very well, then." Commodore Norrington said and lowered his gun, motioning his men to do the same. Then he seemed to notice Will. "Mr. Turner? I thought you and I were working together?!"

"Ehm… Yes." Will replied looking at his feet. "But, you see, we were in a hurry and Miss Kelly…"

"What's my daughter got to do with this?" Sir Richard said with a queer look at the young blacksmith.

"Father, she was the one to persuade us all to go." Matthew said not wanting his father to cross question his new friend.

"Mr. Turner, do continue!" Commodore Norrington said looking sternly at the young man.

"Well…" Will began not knowing where to look. Then he seemed to change his mind. "To tell the truth, Norrington, you were never fond of asking for my help, and I was never fond of the thought of helping you. You know it is so, and I can't blame you, as you can't blame me. I'm a grown man – I can help whoever I want to help."

The Commodore cringed and looked as if he wanted to cut off Will's head, but then he pulled himself together.

"Very well, Mr. Turner. I reckon you are right. I should not question you about this."

Jack watched in awe as the eyes of his now worst enemy grew almost soft. He had never seen _that_ look on his face before. Was the world going crazy?

---

"Julia, why are you crying?" A thin voice asked and made Julia start. As she looked up Harriet was looking at her. She was sitting up in the plank bed, her face was pale, her eyes tired, and her brown hair a mess, but she was awake!

"Harriet!" Julia exclaimed and jumped off her own plank bed to go hug her baby sister. "I've so missed you!"

"What was that loud bang that woke me? Where am I?"

"You're on Captain Sparrow's ship. He saved you from the evil pirate."

"Is he dead?" The girl's eyes filled with tears and Julia hugged her again.

"No, he's not dead. He's right above us. On deck."

"Can we go see him?"

"Sure we can." Julia said happy that her sister wanted to see people, even if it was the pirate. She did fear facing him again, though, as shame and embarrassment filled the part of her that wasn't thinking about Harriet. Now that the fear of losing her sister had worn off, she suddenly saw much more clearly just how good a friend Jack had been to her and her family, in spite of all the times she had been nasty towards him.

---

"Julia! Harriet!" Sir Richard called and held his arms out to let Harriet run into his embrace, as the two girls emerged from below.

Matthew and Mary called Harriet's name as well, but none of them expected her to run into their arms. They were just happy to see that she was conscious and awake.

"Captain Sparrooow!" Harriet shrieked and ran to the pirate, who bent down screwing up his eyes to avoid them from filling with tears. Pirates didn't cry!

"Hello there, young lady!" He said and lifted the girl up. He looked almost happy until he looked at Julia.

"At least someone seems to appreciate me help!" He muttered, though making sure Julia heard him. She looked away with a sad blush knowing that she had crossed the line, and now she wouldn't have a chance to tell him she was sorry. She would have to come with her father now.

"Put down my child, Sparrow!" Sir Richard's voice suddenly sounded. He had a hurt expression on his face, and Julia knew that the fact that Harriet had run to Jack would be a bitter pill for her father to swallow.

"Gees, mate!" Jack said putting Harriet down with a frown. "It's not like I'm gonna harm 'er or anything."

Harriet, who didn't understand what was going on between the grown ups, ran to her father to give him a hug as well. As soon as she had done so, several guns were pointed at Jack.

"No!" Julia let out in alarm, making everyone but Commodore Norrington turn to stare at her.

Jack looked questioningly at her, but he didn't pass any remarks.

"Julia!" Sir Richard exclaimed displeased. "Get into the boat with Harriet and Daniel. Matthew and Miss Price, you go as well!"

"No!" Julia said again, this time a little louder. They couldn't shoot Jack now. They just couldn't!

"Julia! Please!" Sir Richard pleaded, but no one, not even Mary, obeyed his order.

Then, to everyone's surprise and most of all Jack's, Julia stepped in front of the pirate to avoid him from being shot.

"Miss Kelly, step back!" Commodore Norrington said, but he did lower his gun a little.

"What are you doing?" Jack said looking at Julia with a puzzled expression on his face. "You're free to go. Why don't you just go home?!"

"I'm trying to defend you here, okay? So stop talking like I'm crazy!"

"But you _are_ crazy, love!" Jack said with an amused smile, though guns were still pointed at them.

"Look, I'm trying to say I'm sorry!" Julia said in a harsh whisper, not wanting anyone else to hear it. "And it's not an easy thing for me to do…" She suddenly realized just how close she was to Jack as she whispered in his ear. The next sentence stuck in her throat, and she totally forgot what she had been about to say.

"Oh, so you finally warmed up to me!" Jack said with an amused smile moving his eyes from hers to her father's and then back to hers. They were standing very close, and Julia was looking from his eyes to his lips, not sure what the feeling inside of her meant. "No offence, love, but you wouldn't want to be doing this while everyone's watching!"

"Be doing what?!" Julia exclaimed stepping a little away from him. "No! You…!" She raised her hand and pointed her index finger at him. "Don't you start with me again!"

Jack just gave a laugh but was silenced by Sir Richard, who looked at him with hatred in his eyes. For some reason the commodore seemed slightly amused, though he did his best to hide it. He looked as someone who had just figured out something that had been tormenting his mind for a long time.

"Mr. Sparrow, let go of my daughter!" Sir Richard said with a cold stare at the pirate.

"But Mr. Kelly, she's the one who won't let go!" Jack said causing Julia's face to turn a deep red. To his big surprise she didn't say anything in return. It kind of disappointed him.

"Julia, get away from him!" Sir Richard demanded.

"Father, I'll be sailing to Port Rewland on the Pearl." Julia then said, her voice calm and decided.

"Be reasonable!" Sir Richard said with flickering eyes. He looked to Commodore Norrington for help, but the latter just put his gun back into its holster.

"As I see it, Sir Kelly, your children are here because they want to be." He said. "I know we could force them to come with us, but I don't think they're in any...I don't think their lives are in danger aboard this ship. How odd it may sound, I do believe the pirate is their friend!"

Jack smirked and pointed a finger at himself, looking from one soldier to the other, his braids swinging around him. Julia caught herself looking at him, admiring the odd hair that encircled his face. It had almost the same color as his eyes.

"Ahem!" Someone coughed and Julia looked at Matthew, who was watching his sister. He pointed his head in direction of their father. He, the commodore, and the soldiers were retreating to the ship of the Royal Navy, taking Harriet and Mary with them.

"Oh. I'll see you in Port Rewland, Mary!" Julia shouted and secured a reprimanding look from her father.

Yes! So she and Jack had won this thing against her father and the commodore! It wouldn't be fun to get back, but who cared about that now? Harriet was safe and Jack was safe. That was all that mattered. At least for now.

---

"Well, ehm… thank you…I guess." Jack said avoiding looking into Julia's eyes.

"It was the least I could do." Julia replied not looking into Jack's eyes either. "After all you've done for us…"

Jack smiled confused, not knowing what to say to that. They had, purposefully or not, done a lot for him too.

"Yeah. Whatever!" Jack smiled after a while before hurrying away to go steer his beloved ship. The way to Port Rewland wasn't long now, and he needed a little time to clear his mind. Talking to Julia would do him no good right now, and so he retreated to the most secure place he knew. Standing by the rudder facing the horizon was definitely the best kind of therapy he had ever known.

* * *

A/N: Well, still a couple of chapters to go, maybe more (probably more). Hope you haven't lost interest but are still reading!

And Dawn, I had hoped to get to read another one of your stories this weekend, but this stupid family fight in my family prevented me from using my dad's computer with internet access. Shall take them home with me soon, though.

Heav, I'm still waiting for episode two of the drama about Jack's hat. You're not too mad at me, are you?! Sorry 'bout the last chapter. Danes' sense of humor = Odd! Very odd indeed!


	13. The Pirate Takes It All

A/N: Finally an update. Sorry for taking so long. I've been occupied with different stuff such as a Love Actually fanfiction, a LOTR fanfiction, some fictions over at Fictionpress.com and a personal love life that really sucks. Oh, and watching soccer. Denmark is in the quarter finals!!!!!! Yay! Haven't left me much time to finish this story, but here we are with the thirteenth chapter. Did I ever tell you that thirteen is my lucky number?

Okay, so moving on to the disclaimer: Disney owns everything except for the characters that I made up and…my inspiration.

Enjoy reading chapter 13!

- Miss Sofie.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen – The Pirate Takes It All**

The Pearl reached Port Rewland with no further delay or trouble of any sort. Most of the people aboard were rather silent, especially Julia and Matthew. Jack was silent as well, apart from the times he barked orders to his crew. When he did so, he was a bit louder and harsher than usually. His crew members passed no remarks but did as he said, and as the wind was in their favor they reached town sooner than expected.

Sir Kelly and his Lady waited impatiently with their youngest girl in the port, and so did Commodore Norrington and the soldiers who had come with him from Port Royal. They would be going back as soon as they had made sure everyone was safely back where they belonged.

"I guess this is it." Matthew said to his sister as they watched the town coming closer, standing in the front end of the majestic ship which they had spent the last couple of days aboard.

Julia nodded and felt a lump emerging in her throat. She had never thought she'd actually be sad to leave a pirate ship. Well, actually, she had never thought she'd even come aboard one, but now that she had… She'd miss the sailing and the wind in her hair, even if it made it flow out of place. She'd miss standing on the deck of the Pearl watching Jack steer the Pearl towards the sunset… Well, at least she'd miss sailing towards the sunset!

She breathed in deeply not noticing that Matthew disappeared and Jack took over the spot her brother had recently taken up.

"Not getting sentimental, are we, Julia?" Jack smirked and looked at the young girl who suddenly seemed years older than when he first met her. Back then (which was, actually, only a few days ago) she had seemed so scared and naïve, though still very stuck up.

"Of course not!" Julia replied with a frown. "Why? Are you, Mr. Sparrow?"

Jack sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's '_Capt_'…"

"Or 'Jack'!" Julia cut him off bringing a small smile to his face.

"Aye. Or 'Jack'." He replied without saying anything further.

"Well…?" Julia asked still waiting for his answer.

"What?"

"Are _you_ getting sentimental?"

"Would I have any reason to be?"

"I don't know. Would you?" Julia teased, but before Jack reached to reply, Gibbs shouted to him asking for permission to lower the rowing boats into the water.

Jack turned around to go help him, but Julia stopped him by laying a hand on his arm.

"Jack…" She began.

"There'll be plenty of time for that, love." Jack said and removed her hand with his. "I'll be going ashore with ye all."

---

"No one's to lay hand on the pirate!" Commodore Norrington's voice sounded as the small party of Jack, Julia, Matthew, Daniel, and Will reached the outermost quay of the harbor, at which everyone, it seemed, had gathered to welcome them.

"But sir?" One of the soldiers present said with a frown at the commodore.

"Pirate or not, it seems that he keeps saving the lives of the important citizens in this country, and, therefore, he is not to be harmed." The commodore said with an artificial smile at the soldier who dared question his orders.

"Of course, sir!" The soldier said and lowered his rifle. The rest of the soldiers followed his example and lowered their weapons stepping a little back.

"So nice to see you've arranged a welcome party for me, Norrington!" Jack said with a grin at the commodore as he stepped from the boat and onto the quay.

"Don't flatter yourself!" The latter replied and hurried to help the rest up from the boat.

"Thank you." Julia said as the commodore took her hand in order to help her.

"You're welcome." Commodore Norrington said and made Jack give a little laugh.

The Commodore gave him an annoyed stare before stepping back again.

"Just because you're not a gentleman, Sparrow, it doesn't mean that I can't be!"

"Ah, but I never claimed otherwise." Jack replied with a smile. "In fact, I think it's good that at least one of us has the decency to think of manners when the other one is nothing but an indecent pirate, despised by everyone – even his own mother! I really don't know what we'd do without you, Norrington!"

Julia looked at Jack and she did nothing to hide her amusement. The pirate, of course, knew that she was perfectly able to get ashore without any kind of help, and he would be the last one to pretend to be helping her. He doubted it was the way to court her anyway!

Commodore Norrington looked away, but he said nothing in return. Jack thought he saw a small smile on the soldier's face just before he turned away from him, but that couldn't be, could it? No, the commodore would never laugh at anything Jack said, except if he was being ridiculous when trying to be serious, and _that_, of course, would never happen!

"Well, Sir Kelly, it seems that you have got all of your children back unharmed." Commodore Norrington said and turned his back on the party to walk away. "Mr. Turner, are you sailing back with us?"

"Give me one moment." The young blacksmith said and shook hands with Matthew and then Jack. He padded Daniel on the head and Julia got a courteous bow from him.

Matthew and Daniel said their goodbyes to Jack as well, but Julia really didn't know how to do so.

"Well…" She began with a grave look at the pirate with the long, dark braids and even darker eyes standing in front of her. He tipped his head and watched her mouth as she spoke. As she didn't continue, he tipped his head to the other side and smiled at her.

"What is it that you're trying to say, love?" He asked teasingly, causing her to slap him gently on the chest.

"Don't do that!" She complained, but before she had a chance to react, he had taken her head in his hands and placed his lips on hers in an impulsive and quick, but also very emotional, kiss.

Julia, who was too surprised to react, let him kiss her the few seconds it lasted, and when he let go of her she reached out for him to stand upright. She was too dizzy to do so on her own.

"Commodore Norrington!" Sir Richard's now shrill voice brought Julia back to the present. "Arrest that…rascal!" He shouted running to his daughter and grabbing her arm.

Jack ran towards the boat in order to get away at once, but the commodore's voice stopped him.

"I feel with you, Sir Kelly, but kissing a lady is no crime – not even for a pirate – when the lady herself does not mind!" He said though looking at Jack with despise in his eyes. "And Miss Kelly didn't exactly object…"

"Julia!" Lady Kelly exclaimed with wide eyes. "Tell the commodore that you object!"

But Julia was still too dazed to answer or even listen, and so Jack could go back to the Pearl with no further trouble, though leaving plenty of troubled people behind.

---

The next couple of days weren't exactly any fun to Julia. Her parents scolded her for leaving without permission and for persuading Matthew and Mary to come with her. They also scolded her for keeping them worried sick for so long and for actually associating with criminals. They said nothing about the kiss, and Julia figured they believed that she had had nothing to do with it. Because she hadn't. She may not have objected to it, but that was only because she was too surprised to do so. Afterwards she hadn't objected either, but that was only because she knew it'd take Jack to the gallows, and she wasn't too fond of the thought of that.

Her mother kept talking about the ball that the Allenbys had postponed because of Daniel and Harriet's disappearance, and in the end Julia agreed to go. She had no chance to escape it anyway, and by agreeing she might make her parents less angry with her. It didn't make her look anymore forward to it, though, as she knew her mother had talked a lot to Walther Allenby while they had been away, and the man seemed very interested in courting Julia. She had met him a couple of times already, and though he was an agreeable young man, she found him very boring and common.

But the inevitable had to be gotten over and done with, and so Julia found herself at a ball she had never wanted to attend in the first place, dancing with a man whose attention she had never wanted to be paid either.

"I must say, Miss Kelly, you look really lovely tonight." Walther Allenby said for the third time that evening while he and Julia danced.

"Thank you." Julia replied politely for the third time and wished that she could be back in her bed or even better…in her plank bed on the Pearl. But the plank bed had never been hers, and she would never see the Pearl again. The ship had sailed away with her owner and his crew a few days ago, and everything was supposed to be back to normal now. Except Julia and her family were still in town, and if her mother were to decide they'd stay until the man dancing with Julia had asked for her hand in marriage.

Julia sighed and didn't hear what Walther said when the tune ended and a new one began.

"Miss Kelly, you seem a little distracted tonight." He said and smiled. No doubt he thought that he was the reason why she was distracted.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Julia replied and tried to pay him her full attention.

"Don't worry about it." He said and smiled fondly at her. She didn't notice. "I feel the same way!" He hesitated before continuing. "Miss Kelly…There's something I'd like to discuss with you…" He said, and _now_ she paid attention to him, doing her best to pretend that she didn't.

"Would you walk with me for a while? We won't go far."

"But…" Julia said and looked wildly around for something that could save her. She really didn't wanna go for a walk with Walther Allenby. He was a nice man and she wasn't afraid of being alone with him – well, at least she wasn't afraid he'd hurt her in any way – but she feared the conversation he wanted to have with her. She was so not ready for that yet.

"May I have this dance?" Someone said and Julia turned around happy to see her brother holding out his hand to her.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Allenby, but this may be the only chance I'll ever have to dance with my brother at a real ball!" She said and took Matthew's hand. Walther Allenby understood and let the two of them dance, though the expression on his face showed disappointment. Julia didn't choose not to worry more about it, she simply forgot, as a certain pirate kept sneaking into her thoughts.

---

Jack stood by the rudder of the Pearl, steering his beloved ship away from Port Rewland and his latest adventure. An adventure that had turned out to be less simple than he had thought it would be, and then again…boarding the Dispute and taking the gem had been simple enough. It was all that had come with the Kelly family that hadn't been simple. _Why_ he could not tell. It just hadn't been as simple as things usually were for him.

He sighed as he watched his crew working on the deck. There were less of them than he was used to, as half the crew had been handed over to Ana Maria on the Dispute. Though most of the crew that was left was right before him, the deck seemed empty to Jack. No one spoke and no one laughed. They were all working. Which, of course, they ought to be. Just because they had the gem (which, by the way, his crew didn't know about yet) it didn't mean they should just sit down and relax. It had not been sold yet, and until some dishonest gentleman had paid Jack loads of gold in return for the gem, he couldn't really feel comfortable. He wasn't exactly a tradesman, and he doubted he'd ever come to understand why some people chose to live their lives dependant on other people buying their goods. It was so much easier to just take what was needed!

Thinking about taking what he needed, a plan formed in Jack's mind. He needed something that no one would give him. Why not go back and take it himself?

"Duncan!" He shouted and got the attention of his entire crew.

"I was only speaking to Duncan." Jack muttered and rolled his head as well as his eyes.

"Yes, Captain!" Duncan shouted back. He was in the lookout mast again.

"Anyone or anything ahead?" Jack asked taking a quick look around to watch the expression on the faces of his crew. "Anything that makes it impossible for us to turn around?"

"What? Captain, you can't…" Gibbs began, but Jack's warning look cut him off.

"No, Captain. Nothing ahead." Duncan shouted and made Jack turn the rudder quite suddenly as to make Gibbs fall over on purpose.

"What's with you?" Jack barked at his crew, as they looked at him in disbelief. "We're going back. Ana Maria's got half me crew. I need to get a new one."

His men still looked at him like he was insane.

"Well, at least half a new one." He added and silently cursed the half he had for just looking at him without moving.

"Now get back to work!" He shouted and finally his orders were being followed.

"But, Captain…" Gibbs said not daring to come too close to Jack. "I doubt we'll be able to find any pirates in Port Rewland."

"Why is that? Will Turner is still there, isn't he?"

"Yes, but he's not exactly a pirate, and that's only one man…"

"Who said I was talking about men?"

"Are ye speaking of…women, sir?"

Jack gave a laugh at the confused expression on Gibbs' face.

"Have it ever occurred to you that 16-year old boys would make good pirates some day?" Jack asked avoiding answering the question about women. "And at that age they'll be easy to manipulate."

"Ah, now I see where ye're going…" Gibbs said and walked off smiling at Jack's slyness.

The latter laughed to himself at his first mate's stupidity. Of course he wasn't going to manipulate young gentlemen into becoming pirates! If he wanted a new crew he could always go back to Tortuga. Port Rewland held one thing that Tortuga couldn't provide him with and that one thing he was going to make his, though he knew it wouldn't be given to him freely.

---

Julia sighed and drew out her fan. The heat was unbearable and Walther Allenby had asked her to walk with him, and she had had no chance to object as her mother had been listening and saying that she wasn't needed anywhere else. The young man was going on and on about the weather and his finances, and Julia's thoughts kept going back to the dream she had had last night.

She had been standing next to Walther Allenby in a big, white room, and she was dressed all in white. She had realized after a while that her white clothes were a wedding dress, but there was no ring on her finger. Right when then clergyman had been about to announce them husband and wife, someone had shouted 'stop', and everyone in the church had turned around to see Jack come jumping in from a window high above. Julia's heart had done a little somersault, but then she had woken up and had been unable to fall asleep again.

"Miss Kelly?" Walther Allenby's voice brought Julia back to the present.

"Ehm…Yes." The girl said and looked away.

"Are you feeling alright, Miss Kelly?" He asked and made her look at him.

"Yes…I'm fine, thank you." Julia replied with a forced smile.

"You know, Miss Kelly…" Walther began and walked on. Julia let go of his arm, which she had been holding onto until now. He gave her a quick look but otherwise ignored it. "Your father's telling me you'll be leaving town in a few days' time."

"Yes. Yes we will." Julia replied walking a few steps behind. Walther stopped to let her catch up before walking on.

"I would very much like you to stay for a while." He said and made Julia almost stop breathing. She really didn't want him to feel that way.

"Oh. That's…that's nice of you." She tried and walked on as he stopped.

"Well, I'm afraid it's not." He said and caught up with her again.

"And why is that?" Julia asked mainly because it was easy to tell from his voice that he wanted her to ask.

"Because I want you to stay for selfish reasons, Miss Kelly."

"Oh. Then I guess it's not very nice of you, Mr. Allenby." Julia said and fell a little behind on purpose.

"No, but…"

Julia didn't hear the rest as someone put a hand over her mouth and grabbed her around the waist dragging her into some bushes before Walther Allenby even realized she wasn't listening anymore.

"Miss Kelly?" She heard him ask loudly as the one who had dragged her into the bushes revealed himself by whispering in her ear.

"Don't scream and I won't harm you!" Jack's voice tickled in Julia's ear, and she turned around to face her kidnapper with a big smile as he let go of her.

"Jack!" She exclaimed in a loud whisper making the pirate cover her mouth with his hand again.

"Come with me." He said and let go of her mouth to take her hand instead. He dragged her further into the thicket, but after a little while they got out on the other side and found themselves in the back of a big garden. No one was there, so there was no need to whisper anymore.

"What are you doing here?" Julia asked still surprised to see the man who kept haunting her in her dreams. She had thought that her dreams would be the only place in which she would see him from now on.

"Rescuing you." Jack replied with a self-satisfied smile.

"From what?"

"Isn't it obvious? The kid was about to ask you to marry him. A girl like you can't live with someone like him!"

"He's not a kid!" Julia said and slapped Jack's chest gently. – An action which reminded her of the moment right before he had kissed her on the docks.

"Well, he's not really a man either." Jack said and looked around as to see if they were alone.

"And why can't I marry him?"

"I never said you couldn't. You just can't live with him."

"Wouldn't that be the same?"

Jack gave a little laugh. "Ah, I forgot. In your world it's probably the same."

"And in yours it isn't?"

Jack just laughed in reply.

"You'd be bored to death living with a guy like Walther Allenby."

"You know his name?"

"'Course, love. Had to investigate a little before ruining your chance of happiness with the kid."

"You really believe you have ruined anything? I believe he's too fond of me to let you ruin anything."

"Yes, love, but you're forgetting one thing…" Jack said with an intense look at Julia.  
"And what is that?" She replied looking back at him with her arms crossed, but she wasn't angry.

"The moment you saw me again you knew you couldn't be happy with anyone else but…me!" Jack said very confident, pointing his index finger at himself and giving the young girl a smile that could've melted her if it wasn't for the fact that soldiers were coming towards them in the garden.

"Jack?"

"I know."

"What do we do now?"

"I suggest…we run!" Jack said and took Julia's hand, leading her through the garden and over a wall.

"Jack?" Julia said and made him stop running by holding on to his hand as he wanted to run on.

"What? Look, love, we'll get caught if you're gonna stop to chat all the time."

"I know. I just need to know…Are you asking me to marry you?"

Jack sighed with a grin. "No, I'm not."

He gave Julia a quick kiss before dragging her on again. "I'm telling you to come live with me on the Pearl, and before you object…" He paused to kiss her again. Then they ran on. "…Let me say this: Walther Allenby may be able to give you money and a safe home, but _I_ can give you money, a home on the Pearl, _and_ the world. Now, how many men can give you that?"

Julia couldn't help laughing as Jack babbled on and on. He actually seemed a little nervous, though he did his best not to show it.

"Jack?" She asked holding him back again.

"What is it now?" He asked slightly annoyed. They had no time to stop so often.

"We're not being followed anymore."

"Oh." Jack said with a puzzled frown. Then he kissed Julia like all of a sudden and literally swept her feet off the ground. He caught her before she fell, though.

"Yes." She said and looked at him, surprised that he could actually be romantic. Well…perhaps not 'romantic' but at least 'emotional' in some way.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, I'll come live with you."

"No need to tell me that, love. I never expected otherwise." The pirate said with a smile and swept her off her feet once again.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, so we've come to the end. I hope you liked it. I know I write Mary Sues, but I try not to. But how do you write a love story that isn't a Mary Sue? If anyone knows how, then please let me know, 'cause I'm getting tired of people telling me that my stories suck because they are Mary Sues.

Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for reviewing.

Dawn and Heav, I wouldn't have finished this story without you! (Did I mention that I've always wanted to do an Oscar speech and thank people? Guess this is the closest I'll ever come!)


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